This election made me just as emotional as I was back in November 2008 when President Barack Obama won. For ME, these election results were not about race or political affiliation. It was about WOMEN making HISTORY and shattering glass ceilings! This midterm election was one for ALL women!

On November 3, 2026, women across the United States were on ballots competing for positions of leadership. According to earlier reports, 4,215 women were nominated across major categories throughout the country. Let that sink in for a moment! The reason this is so significant is that American women were denied equal voting rights for generations. Now, thousands of women are competing to lead the very institutions that once excluded them.

Keisha Lance Bottoms became the nation’s first Black woman elected governor and Georgia’s first female governor. Gina Hinojosa became Texas’s first Latina governor. Deb Haaland became the nation’s first Native American woman elected governor.

HISTORY! HISTORY! HISTORY!

At some point last night, I drifted off to sleep shedding tears and reflecting on just how far we have come as a nation. No, we have not arrived, and there is still plenty of work to be done, but last night reminded me that we made some significant strides.

As I scrolled through social media this morning, I noticed several posts saying, “Let’s see what she does now” and “Let’s see how she makes a change.” And I was INSTANTLY annoyed! Not because accountability is not important, because it absolutely is. But because I don’t recall seeing that same level of immediate skepticism when some of their male counterparts were elected.

That raised a bigger question for me: Why are some men intimidated by women?

Why does a woman’s success sometimes appear to threaten a man’s position, power, or sense of importance? Why must women continually prove that they deserve to occupy spaces they have already earned the right to enter?

Over the past couple of years, we have watched women face additional challenges in the workforce. Following the rollback of DEI many women experienced professional uncertainty and job losses. Reports showed that approximately 320,000 Black women experienced employment loss during 2025, while federal workforce reductions eliminated an additional 256,000 positions across the workforce by January 2026. Those numbers are significant, and behind them are real people, families, careers, and livelihoods.

Women continued to show up, kept the faith, held their heads high, and pushed forward. Women across this nation answered the call, step forward, used their voices, and pursued opportunities to influence change. Last night, we witnessed history being made.

One thing we all know is that CHANGE is difficult. Change brings growing pains. Change can be uncomfortable, but sometimes change is absolutely necessary. Just because something has always been done a certain way does not mean it should continue to be done that way.

Traditions are not always helpful, healthy, or good. Sometimes people continue doing things because they are familiar or because challenging the norm might create conflict. I am grateful for the strong, courageous women who have decided that being uncomfortable is a small price to pay for making a difference.

Let me share a little about my shaping as a woman.

Growing up, my dad taught me the importance of knowing what was happening in our country. He taught me not to take someone’s word for something but to pay attention to their track record, their character, and how they lived before they ever stepped onto a stage asking for support.

My dad watched the news EVERY night and got the newspaper on the weekends. I remember sitting on the sofa watching that boring stuff just so I could spend time with him. LOL. Trust me, I had absolutely NO interest in watching the news back then! What I did want was to be in my father’s presence. Those moments gave me opportunities to have conversations with him, ask questions, listen, and learn.

He never impressed upon me which political party I should support or for whom I should vote. What mattered to him was that I understood the importance of using my voice and exercising my right to vote. Another thing my dad NEVER did was tell me that certain roles were only for men or women. His approach was: If you want to do it, DO IT! Just be willing to put in the hard work to make it happen.

I remember asking him if he thought I could become a doctor. He said YES. So, of course, I kept pushing. “Daddy, do you think I could own my own business outside of Chicago?” He said YES. Because of how highly I thought of myself then, and STILL do, I decided to take it a little further. “Daddy, do you think I could become the President of the United States?” He said, “YES, if that’s what you want to do.” Now, whether he genuinely believed I could fill ALL those roles, I DON’T KNOW! LOL.

Here’s what mattered: HE MADE ME BELIEVE I COULD! Part of the reason I am the woman I am today is because of HIM. Even when I got kicked out of all Chicago Public Schools during my sophomore year, and yes, you read that correctly, (different story for a different day), my dad never made me feel like I was less than. I knew he was disappointed in my actions, but he never allowed my mistakes to define my future.

In true Boo fashion, I had the nerves to ask, “Daddy, do you think I can graduate early, ahead of my actual class?” He said, “Yes, if that’s what you want to do.” He was probably thinking, “Girl, SHUT UP! You just got kicked out of school!” ha-ha, but he did not say that. He continued to speak possibility into me.

That experience became a turning point in my life. It was when I began learning to compete with MYSELF, to challenge myself, and to stop allowing my circumstances to determine what I could accomplish. And guess what? I DID graduate early, six months ahead of my class!

My Daddy. My Pops. Mr. Officer. Bro. Larry. THANK YOU!

Thank you for never placing limitations on what I could become. Thank you for teaching me that my voice matters. Thank you for believing in me, even during seasons when my actions probably gave you every reason to question my judgment. I hope I am making you proud. The daughter that was a disappointment became a mother, a wife, a doctor, a business owner, a community leader, a Woman of Excellence, and so much more. With every title, accomplishment, award, and hat I wear, at the end of the day, I am just the daughter of Charles and Denise and everything I am is because the two of you. That will ALWAYS be one of my greatest honors.

I digress! Back to these women making HISTORY!

Throughout history, women have had to overcome discrimination, inequality, oppression, violence, and societal expectations to gain opportunities and rights that many of us exercise today without giving them a second thought. Women fought for the right to vote, receive an education, own property, work and earn fair wages, become financially independent, and occupy leadership positions.

For generations, women were taught that their primary purpose was to serve their husbands, raise children, and maintain their households. Their own dreams, education, careers, and independence were often considered secondary. Although laws have changed, some of those historical expectations continue to influence how women view marriage, sacrifice, identity, and self-worth.

I will not start on the biblical scriptures that have sometimes been selectively interpreted or twisted to justify keeping women beneath men. Women were told that the Bible said they should be quiet, submit, remain behind men, and recognize their place.

That SAME Bible introduces us to women who prophesied, judged, taught, supported ministries, exercised influence, and helped lead God’s people. Then there’s Galatians 3:28 (KJV):“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” THAT’S BIBLE!

Now, I understand that people have different theological interpretations of Scripture. I also believe we must be careful not to use our personal interpretations to diminish another person’s worth, silence their voice, or place limitations on their God-given purpose.

As a Christian woman, I do not consider myself less than my husband. He is my husband, my spiritual covering, my partner, my protector, and my person. When there are things, I desire to pursue, I discuss them with him and value his thoughts and perspective. Not because I am incapable of making decisions, but because we are partners.

I know he wants me to succeed, and reality is when I excel, WE excel. When I experience setbacks, WE experience the setback and work through them together. We are in this TOGETHER.

Before I get up at 5:30 in the morning to start my day, my husband is already up praying for me and covering me. His approach to covering me is different from mine, and sometimes he sees things from an angle I haven’t considered.

My husband is more traditional than modern in some of his beliefs and when we were dating those conversations made me uncomfortable. He grew up Baptist, in a church tradition where women were not allowed to preach, serve as pastors, or hold certain leadership positions. That was the complete opposite of my upbringing. I grew up in a church where women were ordained ministers, where women traveled from around the world to come and preach at our church, and where women carried the title of Pastor. So, imagine some of our conversations! LOL.

We discussed our beliefs, our understanding of Scripture, and our different perspectives. Sometimes, we had to agree to disagree. Our differences did not take anything from each other. That is the beautiful thing: We could disagree and still respect one another. I believe RESPECT is one of the missing key elements in so many conversations today.

We do not have to think alike to respect each other. We do not have to agree on every issue to recognize another person’s value. A woman’s success does not have to threaten a man’s identity.

So, what does all of this have to do with last night’s election? EVERYTHING!

With so many women stepping into elected leadership positions, they have another opportunity to demonstrate what women have always been capable of. We are qualified. We are deserving. We have earned the right to occupy those spaces.

Will every woman elected get everything right? ABSOLUTELY NOT! They will make mistakes. They may miss the mark. They will make decisions that some people disagree with. They will face challenges, setbacks, and growing pains. When they do, I hope we extend the same grace, patience, and opportunity to learn the way male leaders have received throughout history. Leadership is not about perfection. It’s about responsibility, accountability, courage, growth, and the willingness to serve.

WE ARE HERE, and there is no stopping us!

Loving your husband does not require losing yourself.

Being a mother does not mean your dreams have expired.

Being a woman of faith does not mean your voice does not matter.

Being a servant leader does not require you to serve everybody else until there is nothing left of YOU.

You can love God, love your family, serve your community, be an amazing leader, encourage change, be successful, and be a WOMAN! A woman’s success is not a man’s failure. Her leadership is not his loss. And her seat at the table does not mean he has to surrender his.

To the men who encourage, support, respect, and celebrate the women in their lives, THANK YOU! You are part of the reason so many women have the courage to pursue what once seemed impossible.

Here’s to the women who came before us, the women making HISTORY today, and the women coming behind us who will walk through doors we have not even imagined yet.

~LaTronda Latrice