Julianne Malveaux is all about promoting equity. The former Bennett College president, in Greensboro, North Carolina, has advocated for Black people in higher education as well as women’s rights.
Malveaux is the president of PUSH Excel, the educational branch of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition. She also serves on the board of the Economic Policy Institute, The Recreation Wish List Committee of Washington, D.C. and the Liberian Education Trust.
The journalist and author recently spoke to rolling out about her fight to get Black people, and Black women in particular, a seat at the table.
It appears this younger generation gives into the oppressive thought that they don’t deserve to be leaders. Why do you think that’s the case?
The prevailing culture is a culture that we live in.
We have to actively resist that culture. We, Black people, too frequently get messages of, “We’re not worthy,” or, “If we’re worthy, we’re worthy only if we cut and paste ourselves” so that we can’t be our authentic selves. I cannot tell you how many times in the course of my life a White person has basically said something to me like, “Well, you’d be so attractive if you could grow hair.” Well, hair growth is a human function. Basically, at that time, it was like
I was up for certain things in majority media, and they thought I would be more palatable if I grew hair. Now, this is years ago. Today, we see sisters rocking all kinds of styles, and I love it. I just actually envy that generation to be able just to do that.
But at the same time, what we know is we live in a prevailing culture that sends us messages that don’t value us. So we actively, I mean literally, actively have to resist those notions. We have to say to ourselves, “I am enough. I am worthy, I am great. I am a leader.”
In the recent Georgia Senate race, there was at least a quarter-billion dollars spent, but the Democratic party didn’t spend even one million dollars with Black media. What do you conclude from a quarter-billion-dollar advertising budget, and less than one percent being spent on Black media?
Given the fact Black women were the backbone of that Georgia race with Rev. Warnock, with LaTosha Brown, Melanie Campbell, it’s no way that our community should not have gotten some of those dollars.
The fact is that we have allowed these people to disrespect us, but we don’t feel that we have anywhere else to go.
In other words, clearly, we are not going to go to the Republicans, so the Democrats become our lone hope. This is why I advocate a multi-party system where we would be able to move around, but given that we are in the two-party system … I’m not suggesting, although my younger people who are left-leaning, we’re on the same page, suggest we walk out of the Democratic party. I fear the alternative there. I mean, we would not want Mitch Mcconnell or any of these other people to make public policy for Black people, but what I’m saying is we have to hold these people accountable. They have been taking us for granted forever.
