Black Women in the News
Meet Mariah Parker, The Unapologetic Georgia Politician Who Got Sworn In On Malcolm X’s Autobiography
Written By Clarissa Hamlin via Newsone
Parker ran on a platform of economic justice and reducing poverty and discrimination.
Mariah Parker is as unapologetic about her Blackness as they come. The Georgia activist, 26, raised her clenched fist, brought her mother and a copy of Malcolm X‘s poignant autobiography to her swearing-in as Athens-Clarke County Commissioner for District 2 on Monday (June 4).
With the move, Parker showed that her politics are rooted in power. “They asked if they would like the Bible and I said no,” Parker, who stood next to her mom Mattie Parker during the ceremony, said, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. “My mother asked if there was a copy of the Constitution around. No, I wanted Malcolm’s book. I think they saw it coming.”
Congratulations to 26 year-old Mariah Parker who took her oath of office as Athens-Clarke County commissioner with her Mother holding the Autobiography of Malcolm X. A loud and respectable statement. #MalcolmX #MariahParker #GenerationYes #MoveForward #BlackExcellence pic.twitter.com/HQV7axpSpX
— ILYASAH SHABAZZ (@ilyasahShabazz) June 7, 2018
From a physical and political standpoint, Parker brings to mind multihyphenate Angela Davis, whose towering Afro and raised fist symbolized her alliance with the Black Panthers and activism. Parker, like Davis, has won praise from people of …