Is Black Girl Magic Fading?

Ketanji Brown Jackson brought the Supreme Court to a new low last week. It wasn’t due to any opinion she wrote–it was her appearance in a Broadway musical. The black justice briefly performed in a “queer” reworking of Romeo and Juliet. Her bizarre theater kid foray was extremely cringe, prompting widespread mockery on social media. Very few thought it was cool. If a prominent black political figure had done such a thing in 2014, or even in 2019, we would all be compelled to think it was the most epic thing ever. Now, most acknowledge this appearance was lame.

KBJ’s embarrassment indicates black girl magic may be losing its potency. Revered for years as the saviors of American democracy, black women failed to help one of their own win the presidency. Donald Trump won, and, according to the mainstream media, black women are “too tired” to do anything about it. Unlike other minorities, black women stood strong for Kamala Harris. But the rest of America chose a white guy who questioned Kamala’s blackness. The near-divine status of black women could be a thing of the past. America is also tired of these ladies telling us what to do.

The 2010s were rife with “black girl magic.” Beyonce, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and other black female celebrities were (and still are) treated as goddesses. The same was afforded to Stacey Abrams, the failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate. TV shows and movies were produced to celebrate the mythic power of black womanhood. Brands capitalized on it, with one company even selling “Black Girl Magic” wine.

Black women were both the pinnacle of cool and the cornerstone of our democracy. The results in 2018, 2020, and 2022 were credited to black women in the mainstream media. They were praised to high heaven for repudiating the “anti-democratic” Republicans at the ballot box. But, somehow, they couldn’t deliver in 2024. The media isn’t chastising its favorite demographic for this result. Instead, the major papers are portraying them as victims of the election. They deserve a long rest for democracy’s next battle… or something.

The New York Times declared last month that black women are choosing rest over politics. “On social media, under hashtags like #blackwomenrest and #restera, some women have emphasized that after turning out strong for Ms. Harris, they feel unappreciated and defeated, and are ready to bow out of the political and culture wars, for now, to focus on their personal well-being,” the paper of record claimed. The Times claimed these “public declarations of stepping back are a shift from the leadership role Black women have historically played in politics.”

NPR followed the Times with its own report on black women’s time of rest. Interview subjects claimed they feel under constant attack as black women. One insisted the election showed Americans “definitely hate Black women.”

These articles treat the demographic as a disappointed pantheon turning away from its unworthy human subjects. They will no longer save those who apparently need to be saved. Mere mortals betrayed the divine force that keeps America afloat, and we will suffer the consequences.

This is complete nonsense to people with a brain. News outlets posting about how black women are “tired” affirms internet stereotypes about this demographic. It’s something right-wingers would craft to mock the mainstream media–yet newspapers fulfill the parody on their own.

While journalists may still worship black women, American voters don’t share the same enthusiasm. The Kamala campaign testifies to that. Kamala tried to lean into her identity as a black woman to gain votes. While her “multiracial” character made it confusing, Kamala does have authentic black credentials. She attended Howard, she’s a member of the prominent black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, and she loves to drumline dance. She had the full backing of the Congressional Black Caucus and other prominent black figures. She would adopt a black accent when talking to certain audiences. She’s half-Indian and was primarily raised by her Brahmin family in Canada. But, despite Trump’s trolling, Americans saw her as black.

…And they voted against her.

Unlike black women of popular imagination, Kamala was neither cool nor wise. She came across as extremely lame. Worst of all, she reminded people of a hectoring DMV lady, reinforcing a politically incorrect stereotype of the demographic. Even black men were reluctant to vote for her. It’s not that America “hates” black women–it’s just that our country is not as enamored with them as the media thinks we should be.

While black women claim they’re giving up on politics, this applies more to their their male peers. There was notable low turnout among black men in the election, and over 20 percent of them voted for Trump. The few protests black activists continue to organize over police shootings, Daniel Penny, and related events are primarily female affairs. The men seem too busy with crypto, smoking weed, and sports betting. Kamala’s desperate attempt to win them over centered on their interests in those apolitical activities. It was not a pitch animated by the concerns of Black Lives Matter.

Black women’s protestations that they are LEAVING politics aren’t to be believed. They’re just doing it to guilt white women and other Democratic voters into affirming their faith in black girl magic. The myth still lives on among the Left. Nearly half of Democratic voters say Kamala is their pick for 2028. Obviously, that will probably change over the next three years. But it indicates many liberals stand behind their “strong” black vice president.

Most of the top contenders for the 2028 Democratic primary are white guys promising to move the party away from woke. There’s not a lot of color among them, and, besides Kamala, none of them are black women. (I doubt Kamala will run again.) If one of these white moderates wins, it would likely act as a repudiation of the myth of black girl magic. The party wants to focus on other demographics and not obsess itself with Afro-latry.

But there is something that could restore black girl magic to the center of Democratic politics, just as it once was in 2020. That’s the South Carolina primary, which is the first contest for Democratic aspirants to the White House. It’s an overwhelmingly black primary. Any candidate who wants to win will have to cater to black voters. That means reasserting the Black Lives Matter agenda, the antithesis of moving away from woke.

It’s still way too early to predict what will happen in the 2028 primary. There could be an overlooked black woman, say Jasmine Crockett, who runs and takes the field by storm. Everything will depend on what happens during the second Trump term and how the national mood changes. Right now, the “moderate” message appears to be the winning pitch for 2028. It may prove wildly unpopular in the actual primary.

Whatever happens on the Left, black women will play a prominent role. It just might not be as much of a role as they demand. The magic could be gone.