Today, we celebrate achievements that will shape American politics and reflect our nation’s growing diversity. New York City elected Zohran Mamdani as its first Muslim mayor, marking a historic moment in America’s largest city. His election reflects the growing political engagement of Muslim Americans across the nation. Abigail Spanberger (Virginia) and Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey) have made history as their states’ first female governors. Their elections represent a milestone in state governance and demonstrate the growing representation of women in political leadership. These victories build upon decades of progress by pioneering leaders who dismantled barriers in state governance.
Throughout U.S. history, 51 women have served as state governors. The path to inclusive representation in our nation’s highest state offices has required decades of advocacy, but barriers remain. Below is a list of a few leaders who opened doors for future generations.
Table 1. Asian, Black, and Hispanic Governors
Table 2. Other Minority Governors
The Missing Governors
These trailblazers mark progress for representative democracy in America, yet I am cognizant that no Black or Indigenous woman has ever served as governor. Patricia Hill Collins’concept of controlling images and Diane-Michele Prindeville’sanalysis of colonial disruptions provide frameworks for understanding the barriers that limit these women’s political leadership.
Collins identifies how stereotypes, the mammy, matriarch, welfare mother, and Jezebel, function as ideological justifications for maintaining Black women’s subordination across social institutions, including politics. Indigenous women confront parallel stereotypes: the “squaw” and “princess,” which operate alongside colonial policies to exclude Native women from political power. These controlling images employ binary oppositional thinking that positions both Black and Indigenous women as inferior, devalued, and unsuitable for positions of authority.
Prindeville’s research on Native women leaders in 21 Southwestern Indian nations documents how colonial imposition of patriarchal governance systems dismantled traditional matriarchal political structures where women held decision-making power. In theocratic pueblos where religious and governmental functions merge, women are barred from attending council meetings or participating in leadership selection based solely on their sex, even when serving in high-ranking administrative positions. Until 1951, Indian women were legally prohibited from voting in band elections. By 1960, they could not vote in federal elections, a situation that continued long after the passage of the 19th Amendment.
By objectifying and dehumanizing Black and Indigenous women, these controlling images and colonial policies construct structural barriers to political power that continue to operate even as representation in other domains expands. As Capital B News reported in their coverage of Spanberger’s historic election: “A Black woman has never been elected governor, though some—such as Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost Georgia’s 2018 governor’s contest—have gotten close.”
Eighteen states have never had a female governor of any race. Martinez, Haley, Lujan Grisham, Wilder, Patrick, and Moore broke barriers, yet systemic obstacles remain. Today’s victories demonstrate that representation does advance, and that additional efforts are necessary to achieve full representation in state offices.
National Gratitude Month
Today marks another historic milestone: the government shutdown has reached its 36th day, surpassing the previous record as the longest in U.S. history. As we observe National Gratitude Month, I acknowledge three forces advancing an inclusive society:
- Public servants, community leaders, and changemakers advancing an inclusive society through their labor.
- Federal workers advancing an inclusive society despite working without pay and enduring financial hardship.
- Voters advancing an inclusive society through their electoral choices.
Together, we can build a more inclusive society.
Rhonda V. Sharpe is the president and founder of the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race. Her research focuses on gender and racial inequality, the diversity of STEM, and the demography of higher education.