As Texas heads toward the Nov. 4 elections, Black women across Houston are aiming to reshape the political landscape. From church pews to small businesses, their message suggests that this election is not just about candidates, but also about their survival and representation.
“We gather because the livelihood of Black women and Black girls is under attack,” said Rev. Connie Jackson, pastor of St. John Northwest Church. “For too long, Black women have borne disproportionate burdens, lower wages, higher caregiving responsibilities, health disparities, and exclusion from decision-making policies. Every election becomes a battleground for our bodies, our futures, and our faith. But hear me, voting is not merely a civic duty. It is an act of resistance, a spiritual declaration. When we cast our ballots, we declare that we will not be silenced, diminished, or erased.”
Leadership in the 18th Congressional District
In Houston’s 18th Congressional District, the stakes are especially high.
The community has endured the loss of two prominent Black political figures, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Congressman Sylvester Turner, within 18 months. Their deaths, coupled with a delayed special election, have left the district without federal representation for over a year and a half.
“They say that this is going to be some of the lowest voter turnout we’ve seen,” said former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, now running to fill the vacant seat. “The 18th Congressional District hasn’t had its voice, its vote, its federal advocate for funding. We also know that what has happened in this 18-month period includes the passage of the big beautiful bill that cut $900 billion from Medicaid and $300 billion from SNAP.”
Health disparities
From the nation’s highest maternal mortality rate to rising unemployment among Black women, the issues driving this election are deeply personal. Local leaders say health equity tops the list.
They emphasized the state of maternal health care and abortion laws in Texas, arguing that Harris County hosts the world’s largest medical center, yet comprises one of the highest numbers of Black maternal deaths.
Between 2016 and 2020, in Harris County, Black women had the highest pregnancy-related death rate among all racial and ethnic groups. Moreover, babies born to Black women were the most likely to die in the mother’s womb and had the highest death rate in their first year of life, according to the 2024 Maternal and Infant Health report.
The panelists highlighted legislation, such as the “Momnibus Act,” introduced by Representatives Lauren Underwood and Alma Adams, and Senator Cory Booker, that invests in maternal health research and local prevention programs.
For LaToya Eaglin, a small business owner and federal contractor recently diagnosed with breast cancer, the stakes are painfully tangible.
“Federal funding is important for everyone,” Eaglin said. “That money goes toward research, diagnostic tools, and education for people in our communities.”
Eaglin also emphasized the importance of supporting small, women-owned businesses in underserved communities.
“Most of our most talented people are hidden gems,” she added. “People don’t know who they are. Funding for those small businesses is very important to get them up and going. As a business owner myself, I’ve never received funding from any kind of program.”
DEI Rollbacks
Glynda C. Carr, president, CEO, and co-founder of Higher Heights for America, a political action committee dedicated to electing Black women at the federal and statewide levels and as mayors in the 100 most populous U.S. cities, argued that the U.S. is facing a politically and racially regressive moment, with threats to decades of progress on civil rights and women’s rights.
Carr emphasized that Black women want economically strong communities, and when engaged, they mobilize entire networks of voters. With a government shutdown and rollbacks on diversity initiatives impacting Black women’s economic stability, they say the special election is critical.
“We are living in some of the most politically toxic and racially depressive times of our generation,” she said. “We need representatives ready to hit the ground running amidst a government shutdown. “It may feel as though those are being dismantled in this very democracy that we’ve helped to build. Black women…we know that when we fire them up, they don’t go to the polls alone. They bring their house, their block, their church, their sorority, and their union. Every vote matters.”
Speaking on the number of Black women who have been laid off because of federal shutdowns and anti-diversity initiatives, Carr said investment in small businesses is essential.
“They’re the heart of our community. Black women play a pivotal role,” she said.
Environmental justice
Beyond healthcare and economic access, environmental justice remains an urgent concern, particularly in Houston’s Fifth Ward, a historically Black neighborhood suffering from a decades-long cancer cluster.
“I need somebody to back us up,” said Joetta Stevenson, president of the Greater Fifth Ward Super Neighborhood #55 and community advocate. “I needed a powerhouse. And for the past year, we’ve had no one to help us.”
Political power
As early voting begins, Houston’s Black women are mobilizing through churches, community centers, and grassroots networks, the speakers said.
For Rev. Jackson, the message is both political and spiritual.
“As a Black female clergy person who pastors a local church, I declare that the church must walk into public life demanding that structures protect families and best in communities and honor Black women’s leadership,” Jackson said. “Early voting is open. Don’t wait, don’t sit idly. Bring your sisters, your mothers, your daughters, your neighbors. Hold leaders accountable.”
