With Black History Month in our rearview mirrors, and as we enter a month dedicated to celebrating the history of women, it has become quite apparent that the months of February and March are being merged by the actions of Black women like Renee Montgomery, Stacey Abrams, and even Keisha Lance Bottoms, who have taken over the state of Georgia.
Over the weekend, the sale of the Atlanta Dream was unanimously approved to Larry Gottesdiener, Chairman of Northland, an industry-leading national real estate firm, and a three-member investor group that includes former Dream star Renee Montgomery – who recently retired after opting-out of last season to focus on racial justice issues – who is now the first former WNBA player to be a member of team ownership.
“My Dream has come true,” said Montgomery. “Breaking barriers for minorities and women by being the first former WNBA player to have both a stake in ownership and a leadership role with the team is an opportunity that I take very seriously. I invite you to join me as the Dream builds momentum in Atlanta!”
As great as this moment is for women, especially Black ones, at the core of this historic moment lies racism, sexism, and white greed. When Kelly Loeffler, the former Republican Senator and former 49 percent owner of the Dream, willingly chose to be a flagrant racist during her campaign to retain her seat, she attacked Black citizens of the state of Georgia, Black people in general, and challenged her team and the entire WNBA, as she opposed the Black Lives Matter movement and all messaging for social and racial justice.
Let me be clear, Loeffler was on her way to an easy win until she opened her mouth, as Raphael Warnock — the man she lost in a run-off election to — was polling at just 9 percent in August before she pissed off Black America, Black Georgia, and the WNBA.
However, that was only one part of the power shift that was taking place last year, as Abrams was turning the historically Republican red state of Georgia to Democratic blue.
After “losing” the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election to Brian Kemp — a man who was Georgia’s Secretary of State at the time (in charge of state elections) and didn’t step down until after Election Day, as he purged more than 1.4 million inactive voters from the books who were mostly Black – by nearly 55,000 votes, Abrams registered more than 800,000 new Georgia voters to hit the polls, leading to Warnock becoming the first Black senator in the state’s history, Loeffler’s hilarious loss, and flipping the state Blue, which helped Joe Biden become president, giving Democrats control of the House, Senate, and Oval Office.
And as all eyes will be on Atlanta this weekend for an All-Star Game that nobody wants except NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Mayor Bottoms has all but told the league that she doesn’t want them in town), as Kemp’s loose and lax COVID-19 restrictions have tied her hands for months when it comes to locking down the city during the pandemic. People are ignoring Silver’s pleas that All-Star Weekend be a made-for-TV event.
As I said, at the core of this historic moment lies racism (Loeffler), sexism (Kemp), and white greed (Silver), According to CNBC, it’s estimated that last year’s All-Star Game generated approximately $24 million for TNT, which is located in Atlanta. In a few days, we will see if out-of-towners have ignored Silver’s request to stay at home, and if the event he is so hellbent on having is a ratings success or flop for the league.
But in the meantime, it should not be forgotten that after Brian Kemp stole Georgia from Stacey Abrams, she flipped the entire state blue, giving Georgia its first Black Senator. And when Kelly Loeffler tried to “Karen” the WNBA and the Atlanta Dream, Montgomery joined a group that bought the team from her, as the players helped rid Loeffler from politics and the league.
Indeed, a lesson was taught that so many of us were already aware of: Black women ain’t nothing to f**k with.