Jennifer McClellan remembers her parents' recounting life as Black Virginians enduring segregation and the trauma and triumph of the civil rights movement. It showed her that government can be “a powerful force for improving people''s lives” but also one “that oppresses some, ignores others.”
A generation later, despite her interest in public office, there was no obvious pathway for someone like her.
“There weren''t a lot of role models ... examples of Black women” in power, said McClellan in an interview. Now, she is a 48-year-old state senator running for governor herself: “We''re in a very different Virginia.” McClellan's candidacy alongside fellow primary candidate Jennifer Carroll Foy demonstrates the rising political power of Black women, long a foundation of Democratic victories, and recently, as candidates and officeholders, from Vice President Kamala Harris to mayors in Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco.