The time has come for the class of 2021 to pick their class officers and the candidates leading the race are all black females. The century for women in politics has arrived and the sophomores at Cass Tech have joined the wave.
A record-breaking number of women ran for office in 2018 -— 256 women won House and Senate primaries, which was an increasing new record.
Dozens of Black female Democrats put their hats in the ring for a political office like Stacey Abrams, who won the Democratic primary in Georgia. The former House minority leader was looking to become the first black woman elected governor in the nation. We can’t forget the woman who started it all, Shirley Chisholm, who became the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress and represented New York’s 12th congressional district for seven terms. Chisholm was also the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. These young ladies would make their predecessors proud, so let’s meet these courageous candidates.
Jayla Blanding is the front runner for president. She is a 3.9 student and an aspiring surgeon. Blanding works with her mom, whom has her own business and participates in enrichment classes outside of school for SAT prep.
Blanding’s campaign is geared towards making sure all of her peers have the resources they need to go to college. Whether that being exposure to college campuses or getting familiar with the workload, Blanding is a girl with a goal, that wants to see all of her classmates succeed.
Kennedy Johnson, who is running for vice president, is on the track and cross-country team, a member of Doctors of Tomorrow Rising and a Girl Scout. She is excited to be second in command and is always willing to help her president. What’s on Johnson’s agenda is lowering senior dues and making sure everyone enjoys their last two years at Cass Tech.
The candidate running for secretary is Jennifer James. James is a member of Cass Tech’s club For Girls Only, an officer in the club Curl Talk and a Wolverine Pathways Scholar. James is on a mission to bring the class of 2021 together by planning bonding activities that unify sophomores as a family.
Ama Russell is the lead candidate in the race for treasurer. Russell is a member of Doctors of Tomorrow Rising, a Cass Tech Great Debater, corresponding Secretary of Jack and Jill of America, and a member of Girls in Politics. She is also treasurer of the Co-Ette Club Inc., her platform is set on making senior year as fabulous and affordable for everyone. She plans on doing this by hosting fund-raisers that showcase the class of 2021 talents like poetry slams, talent shows, and much more to make senior dues as low as possibly.
Cydnee Harris running for Historian is a member of Brown Girls Read for over three years and is on the Cass Tech softball team. She is passionate about making sure every one of her peers memories are accounted for. Cydnee, if elected will make it her duty to capture everyone’s memories.