by Kinsey Clarke
Not all of our skinfolk are our kinfolk. - Zora Neale Hurston

In light of the election of black Congresswoman Mia Love, I’d first like to say that I was raised a Black Conservative. I’ve written on this before, and my experiences growing up with parents who were heavily influenced by right-wing politics made me blind to race and gender; and how both of those things intersect in America. As I’ve grown and left behind those ideas, I can see how wrong the erasure of my identity as a Black woman is; and how it ultimately served to negate the relevance of my experiences as a Black woman as they relate to politics.

Last night, Utah Republican Mia Love made history with a narrowly won election to a House seat, becoming the first black woman to represent the Republican Party in Congress.