At the Sisters with Superpowers event, Cora Masters Barry, a distinguished political strategist and widow of former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, delivered a heartfelt speech that resonated with the strength and resilience of Black women. Drawing from her own experiences and the legacy of iconic figures like Barbara Jordan, Barry emphasized the long-standing, often overlooked role that Black women have played in shaping history. Her message was clear: Black women have always been at the forefront, and, now, more than ever, it’s time to recognize, unite and empower one another to continue this vital work.
Here is her speech:
Good afternoon to you. I don’t even know why I’m up here. I said, “I don’t need to say anything.” And you know why? Because I got so much stuff going on in my mind. Before I say anything, I want to say I see her [Rep. Jasmine Crockett].
I see her, and I’m full because this lets me know it’s going to be okay. And you keep doing this because you will not be defined by the six Ds. What you just did was the best. I haven’t been able to do that. People know who you are because you are serious and you understand the assignment.
Wow. Give her another hand. And as a matter of connection, I graduated from Texas Southern University, and I am a few days older than you. So, to put myself in context, I was a Pyramid when Barbara Jordan was coming up. I was sitting there thinking, I know Barabara’s looking down and Sheila, now saying, we’ve got one.
I don’t know how many of you remember Barbara Jordan. She was the first president pro tem of the legislature, and she was anointed because, back then, if you were going to get anywhere in politics, some powerful White man had to put his hand up. LBJ put his hand up and said, “Let her go.”
And she went. She was in Congress, and she made that speech when they were impeaching Nixon.
The Constitution … I mean, if you don’t know, look up her speech. You brought all of that back to me. And another thing came to me — there’s a lot going on.
Everybody talks about this being the time of Black women ruling. And let me tell you something about Black women ruling. We’ve been handling this since slavery. We are where we have always been; they just didn’t know it. When I watched “Don’t Take” on that television the other day, and the White woman — I don’t know her name, a mother — just raised a gazillion dollars.
She said, “I bow down to Black women.” She said that. She said, “You did it. You showed us how to do it, and we will follow you.” Let me tell you how that started, just really quickly. It didn’t start last Sunday night. It didn’t start there. That had been going on for three years, and that work had been going on for years.
It was formed to ensure that the next vice president would be a Black woman. And there were a whole bunch of other things in there, little groups of people. There are what I call the Black Woman Mafia. I’ve seen them work, and it scares people. I bring in all the young people I can find who are deserving to go to that. I put them right in the middle of it, and then you’re like, “Y’all just picked up the phone and did this?” Yeah, that’s been going on. Until last Sunday, nobody knew who we were. So, go back to your groups and say, “Let’s read, let’s form a chapter.”
What did you say about the unhoused people?
They also remind me of my dead husband, Marion Barry. When he made his comeback, we went to see everybody in the shelter. We went to the D.C. jail and went to the barbershop. We knew where our people were.
Find your people. Get out of these rooms. I say it every year. We know each other. We are all the same people. Find your people if you don’t know them by relationships.
Whoever is doing your hair, pumping your gas or teaching your children — be an aid. Find our people because that’s where our votes can come from. They come from our people on the street. God bless you. Love you.
See more Sisters With Superpowers speeches here:
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett went to the trap house to get votes
Benita Thompson-Byas shares her superpowers of fortitude, faith and contentment
Adjoa Asamoah highlights strategic coalitions in advancing racial equity
Vicki Miles reflects on legacy, faith, and fortitude at SWS event
Georgette Dixon shares her journey and superpowers of faith and curiosity
Siobhan Ollivierre highlights GirlTrek’s mission to empower Black women
