When I entered AP Government, I wondered how my passion for race relations would intersect with this curriculum. I looked around at my peers and realized that I was one of two Black people in the class. Among the eighteen pale and tan faces, there were two brown ones that stuck out like a sore thumb. I often wondered if I belonged in this classroom, and if my opinions would be seen as worthwhile contributions to the atmosphere. This dilemma led me down a rabbit hole that I finally dug myself out of by the grace of all things holy. I started to reflect on the AP Gov curriculum and how the lack of representation starts in school but eventually extends outward into the makeup of our government, and our laws.
When I started considering the diversity in our government, I inevitably began thinking about how that diversity starts with the people. As the American people, we have the power to change our government by beholding the ballot. When researching, I found that Women of Color (WOC), primarily Black women, were a big voting turnout. There has been a higher percentage of WOC who turnout consistently at the polls than their white counterparts and that was something I was glad to see. But as I dug deeper, I realized that there was no distinction in class. There was no distinction between low-income, middle-class, or upper-middle-class WOC who vote. It all was compiled into one category and that seemed a big problem. I thought back to my family members who were low-income and didn’t vote and realized that those women exist a billion times over in this country. Whether unaware of their power in voting or living in places where there is a lack of information and resources on voting, it is still very, very sad.
I thought about the lack of WOC in Congress compared to their white and male counterparts. The lack of representation for WOC in Congress can greatly contribute to lower-middle-class or low-income WOC feeling as though their voices don’t matter in elections. This is also a pressing issue coupled with the lack of information to low-income households about voting in the first place.

Clothilde Ewing
Clothilde Ewing, a Shaker alum, journalist, and author, agreed to work with me on this project. Mrs. Ewing worked on Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. Her first time working in communications, she served as the spokesperson for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and other marginalized people as it related to the election and the vision of the campaign overall. She was responsible for pitching things and developing stories that would reach marginalized people.
When I asked her what she thought the biggest barrier was for low-income women of color participating in local and national elections, she said, “I don’t think we can understate the lack of diversity and how it is involved in the people’s desire to be a part of the political process.” A scarcity of people who look like the majority of constituents can project the idea that there is no use in using your voice in elections. But although that is true, Ewing also expressed that people envision that they can change the political atmosphere at the drop of a dime and can get impatient when it takes months or years to achieve even a fraction of their goal.
Low-income WOC may feel as though their needs, whether culturally or community-wise, are not being met and lose hope in the political process as a result. But when the community is at the forefront of people’s minds, the power to change Congressional makeup starts with local elections. Local elections set the precedent for statewide and national elections. “The elections matter… maybe you can’t see or touch them every day but they will matter once a right is taken away.” With the current atmosphere of Congress today, that statement rings diligently with the recent controversy of Roe v. Wade.
It can certainly feel disheartening when looking at the state of government today as a woman or a person of color. But living through the intersection of both, it can feel gut-wrenching looking at politicians debate over rights that were once thought inalienable. Many lose hope in the system and don’t bother with correcting it. When I mentioned that, Mrs. Ewing said, “I think people get in the way of themselves when they allow the perfect to be in the way of the good.”
With representation being a major motivator as to why many low-income WOC don’t vote, the closing statement of my interview with Mrs. Ewing hits home to most and will be true for a very long time.
“Be the change you want to see. Be the standard you want to set.”

Councilwoman Carmella Williams
Below is my email recapping an interview with Shaker Heights city councilwoman Carmella Williams.
Hi, Carmella! It’s been some time since our phone call in November, I hope that you’re well. When we discussed the ways to encourage low-income women of Color (WOC) to vote, your passion was infectious. When I started this project, I wondered if anyone else would understand how big of an issue this is. But as I talked to you, I felt understood. The absence of low-income WOC who vote is a problem that deals with information and resources on voting, the legislative process, and how an individual can truly make a change by beholding the ballot. There is a lack of circulation in low-income communities that uplift the aforementioned information. Those communities, which can primarily be made up of people of color, also hold a stigma around the government due to historical negligence. As you know, this can cause a deep mistrust between the government and its constituents who live on the margins of society.
The scarcity of information regarding voting rights in low-income communities coupled with distrust in the government, it is easy to understand why a lot of low-income women of color don’t vote. Whether they feel as though their voices matter or they don’t see any representation on the ballot, it is a disheartening truth. On our call, you made a really good point on how transparency from politicians would benefit marginalized people a lot. I agree with this wholeheartedly. Even if racial representation is not abundant in Congress or local government ten to fifteen years from now, I hope to see plenty of political allyship that addresses the many lives, backgrounds, and experiences of people in this country.
As a member of the city council, you provided some insight into how it feels to be a Black woman in a space that does not largely reflect your identity. You have lived a life that might be different than a lot of your coworkers and bring an important perspective that many local governments desperately need. There is inequity in perspectives when it comes to political conversations nationally and it is such a joy to hear you give voice to that.
You had confided in me that you sometimes feel like your voice doesn’t matter in certain political conversations, and if you feel like this at a local level—I can only begin to imagine how women of Color who work in Congress feel. A lot of WOC, specifically Black women, are often underestimated in our competency and it is frustrating.
At the heart of the topic of getting low-income women of color to vote, representation lives at the center. When I ask myself why Black women only comprise 4.9% of Congress as of January 2021, I am faced with the reasons why low-income women of color don’t vote. I am also faced with the brutal reality of how Black women are treated in this country’s history, legal system, and even the present day. The confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is more than enough proof of that.
Additionally, you mentioned how it comes down to the conversation of funding if a WOC wishes to become a part of the government in any way. To create representation in government, it feels as though you have to pay for it. It takes a tremendous amount of money to run for office and the average American might not have the resources to fulfill that.
There are so many facets and reasons why low-income women of Color don’t vote. Whether there is a lack of information, engagement, or education in the U.S. government or voting rights, all we can do now is look for solutions to this very real and present problem. The only thing we as Americans can do to build a future that reflects this diverse nation is to push for more information and representation in those who represent our ideologies and have the power to change our livelihoods for the better.
Thank you so much for agreeing to talk with me about this! I learned a lot from our conversation and it was a joy to hear your perspective!