‘Your Life Matters’
By Jessica Dupree
Editor Darlene Aderoju
With an unmatched level of grace, confidence and compassion, a humble and faithful leader of service opens up to Heart & Soul Magazine about her belief in steadfastly giving back as she continues to move forward in her career. That incredibly powerful and bold woman is political strategist and advocate Minyon Moore. She has successfully established a name for herself over the course of her decades-long career by working behind the scenes — largely in silence — as she made immense contributions to the Democratic National Committee and multiple presidential administrations. With all of her accomplishments humbly racked under her belt, Moore remains determined to continuously and unapologetically open doors, which have traditionally been closed, for the next generation of Black leaders.
The Chicago native is the head of consulting firm Dewey Square Group’s state and local practices. She teamed up with Leah Daughtry and co-founded The Power Rising Summit in 2017. Just two years later in 2019, Moore received an NAACP Image award for outstanding literary work for her book, For Colored Girl Who Have Considered Politics. For Moore, standing as a person of service while trailblazing a path for those to come is at that heart of her life’s work. She tells Heart & Soul, “When I get to the table, it never stops with me. I continue to create space for others to take a seat.”
Moore chatted with Heart & Soul about methods that can help overcome mental health struggles, what it means to inspire the next generation and her journey to the White House. She has one goal in mind — to inspire those working to make a difference by helping them see the unlimited possibilities in which they can realize their dreams.
What is the inspiration behind The Power Rising Summit?
The Power Rising Summit was inspired by the 2016 elections, when we saw Black women turn out to vote in unprecedented numbers. Our Co-Founder, Leah Daughtry stated, “if I could wave a magic wand, I would bring Black women together from all walks of life. Later that year, we gathered at NCNW, the historic building owned by Black Women and sits on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. Our planning began. Black women were thirsty for information and inclusion. As Black women, we are always helping and supporting others and at that point, we finally determined that we have our own power. We truly are the bread winners, the backbones of our families and leaders in the Democratic Party. We recognized our power and became determined to keep each other involved and upbeat, despite the 2016 loss.
As Black women, we carry a lot on our shoulders. For us, that year became a time for us to come together and feel good about ourselves. For us and by us, we created this space to be together and celebrate each other.
Tell us what it means to change the narrative for Black female leaders.
There is a lack of knowledge about Black women in leadership, period. Many people have a hard time seeing us in different places because of the images that are transmitted about us. Projecting our leadership and our humanity goes hand in hand. The love we share for each other, our families and our work and our country has to be seen in a more visible way. We aren’t monolithic either. Black women are vast with multitudes. My hope is that we can continue to use every available resource we have at our disposal to really help define who we are. I especially hope that we continue to elevate and project Black women and girls through the media in ways that will give generations yet unborn something to aspire to. Fully defining our complexities, our challenges, our dreams and hopes must be done in balance. We are mothers, we are business leaders, elected leaders, scientist, doctors, lawyers, and entertainers. We are Black Women contributing to the very essence of America.
What is your advice for those quietly coping with depression and other mental health battles?
There is nothing wrong with feeling bad, but the danger is in feeling bad alone. If you feel like you’re heading down that path, reach out and don’t be afraid to talk about it. Your life matters and always remember someone cares about you. Pain the Black community can sometimes be a silent killer. It’s okay to reach out and get help. COVID has exposed us to many inequities in our health care system and the isolation becomes a double threat. We must talk about mental health more, especially as we are facing this crippling pandemic. Again, know you are not alone, open up and talk about with a friend or health care professional.
For more information on the Power Rising Summit visit PowerRising.org
