Political powerhouse Bianka Emerson is no stranger to Colorado’s political landscape. She is a campaign strategist and program manager who serves as president of Colorado Black Women for Political Action (CBWPA), leading efforts to advocate for equitable policies and legislation that positively impact Colorado’s Black communities. This year, the prominent and impactful leader is empowering women to reach new heights, with a theme that encourages breaking down barriers to success.
Born and raised in Denver, Emerson graduated from Cherry Creek School District and went on to study at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She obtained degrees in history and social science before earning a law degree in Phoenix, Arizona.
Emerson’s early experiences with race cultivated her interests in the advancement of the Black community. She was one of few Black students in her graduating high school class, which inspired her to seek a more culturally enriching college experience.
Attending a historically Black institution (HBCU) provided Emerson with the culturally immersive experience she desired. “It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” she says. An added incentive to attending the school was its close proximity to family friends, satisfying her parents’ need for security.
Raised by a mother and father who both served as pastors, she learned the value and importance of advocacy and community service from an early age.
“My mother was always an advocate. She was always advocating for social issues, and she would mirror social issues to those which related to the Gospel of Christ,” Emerson recalls. “She would have pamphlets on bills and legislation, and she would say, ‘We’re gonna vote how God wants us to vote.’”
Her father’s community leadership and her mother’s advocacy played a large role in teaching Emerson how to use her platform to address social and political needs, prompting her to pursue a career in law and politics.
After obtaining an undergraduate degree, she had the opportunity to meet the first Black person and first female speaker of the house and Louisiana State Representative, Sharon Weston Broome. She was hired as a supervisor at Broome’s organization, Urban Restoration Enhancement Center (UREC), which housed single mothers and provided summer jobs for their children. Broome’s influence and impact inspired her, and she thought, “I want to do amazing work like that.”
Returning home to Colorado, she launched into action, journeying into a career that would create meaningful change in the communities of her hometown.
Today, Emerson’s goal is to encourage Black women and future generations to understand their power when faced with adversity in the workplace and in everyday life. She focuses on leadership, education and positivity, helping to combat negative work environments and discrimination while using her CBWPA platform to encourage the political participation of her peers.
“Keep Rising to the Top”
CBWPA is a non-partisan, non-profit organization founded in 1977 to encourage African American participation in the political process. The organization serves as a source of political advocacy for the Black community, with educational experiences and events that inform people of their rights, help shape policy with infusions of diverse perspectives and highlight the accomplishments of Black women in leadership.
Each year, CBWPA operates with a theme that speaks to the organization’s highest priorities and emphasizes the importance of Black women’s political involvement.
“Last year, our theme was ‘Embracing our Past to Shape the Future.’ Before that, it was ‘Holding Up Democracy,’ paying homage to the fact that Black women consistently show up in this space of democracy, even though we’re dealing with a democracy that wasn’t designed for our participation,” Emerson explains.
“The reason why we chose ‘Keep Rising to the Top’ this year, is because there has been on attack on what I call, our ‘Black Girl Magic.’”
Emerson references several examples of attacks on Black women in politics, including the political hardships and criticism faced by several influential women in leadership positions. She discusses Claudine Gay, who recently resigned from her position as the first Black president of Harvard University after allegations of plagiarism; Dr. Antoinette Candia-Bailey, who served as the vice president for student affairs at Lincoln University; and even U.S. Vice President, Kamala Harris, whose gender and multiracial background have resulted in harsh criticism and public expressions of prejudice.
After Gay’s resignation, she shared with the New York Times that she believed her professional career was under constant attack, alleging that her intelligence and character were unfairly and inequitably challenged by a system of oppressive injustice. For Candia-Bailey, the harassment and bullying she endured by Lincoln University’s own president tragically resulted in her suicide.
Emerson is determined to shine a light on the ways that Black women are scrutinized while in positions of power, despite their achievements and effectiveness.
“There has been a conservative, right-wing attack on the power and the magic that Black women have,” she says. “If you look at the uniqueness that we really have as Black women, it’s being attacked…there’s a movement to somehow disqualify or invalidate our education, and invalidate our success.”
For Emerson, standing in the gap for Black women who are threatened, bullied, harassed and mocked is her way of encouraging the next generation of women to recognize their power even in the face of adversity.
“The worst thing you can do is allow someone else to validate you,” she warns. “We have to recognize the beauty of who we are and the power that resides within us. There are three relationships: the relationship with yourself, the relationship with God and the relationship with others. And the most important relationship you have is the one you have with yourself, so that outside forces won’t stop you from moving forward and rising to the top.”
A Seat at the Table
Encouraging people to participate in elections from mayor to city council, and even the school board, Emerson believes that continuing to show up and fight against discrimination through legislation and policy is an effective way to advance the Black community’s best interests. She implores Black women to show up at the table and use their platform to affect positive change on local and national levels.
“If you don’t have a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” she quotes Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968.
CBWPA offers Politics 101 sessions throughout the year that promote civic engagement and provide civic education about political roles, with electoral briefings and workshops focused on leadership and policy. The organization has over 300 members who are committed to keep rising to new levels of leadership through local and national political involvement.
To prepare the community for the 2024 election, the CBWPA will focus on its Get Out the Vote (GOTV) effort, “Girl Get Your Vote On,” and voter outreach campaigns to enhance political education with direct community impact.
Emerson, who was recently accepted to the inaugural cohort of the Black Professionals in International Affairs (BPIA) Colin Powell Leadership Institute, hopes to expand the organization to additional states. Her vision involves strengthening the collective voice of Black women in executive leadership roles and the political arena while ensuring that Black women everywhere have a seat at the table.
Editor’s Note: To learn more about CBWPA, visit www.cbwpa.org.
