Page 10 - The Culture Report

The Culture Report

Black Girl Magic “Let's Make History”

Harrison County, Texas is experiencing
Black Girl Magic first hand this year.
During the midterm elections, a group and
Black women judges campaigned under the
banner “Black Girl Magic Texas” and made
headlines during the November midterm
elections as 17 of them won their respective
positions. This group of women may be the
largest group of black female judges to be
elected at the same time in Harris County
history. You may be hard pressed to find a
similar event in any part of the country, so
“historic” is definitely the word to use.

The "Black Girl Magic" campaign debuted over the summer with a viral photo that featured the 17
women and two other sitting Harris County judges inside a courtroom.

Although those two judges lost their bids for seats on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, they will
retain their local judgeship.

Those behind the campaign say it was part of an effort to broaden the diversity of the Houston area's
judiciary and ensure more African-Americans and other minorities can bring their backgrounds and life
experiences to the bench and better reflect the diversity of the nation's fourth largest city.

The swearing-in ceremony took place on Tuesday morning, Jan. 1 with the Harris County Democratic
Party posting photos that showed off the gathering of new judges. “Today we usher in a new era of
representative government and progressive leadership in Harris County,” the group wrote.

At the event was County Judge Lina Hidalgo who won her seat after ousting Republican Ed Emmett.
Emmett held the position for ten years, but like the Democratic sweep of the Black Girl Magic Texas
ladies, his office was replaced by a minority newcomer in Hidalgo. Hidalgo is a 27-year-old Colombian
immigrant, and in a press release before the swearing-in ceremony spoke about the importance of
diversity in government. "We made history in Harris County on November 6 by electing a talented
group of individuals who reflect the people and communities we serve.”

ANB House of Royalty Publications