From Forever to “Forget This”: What We’re Feeling About Politics Right Now

The other night, a few of us from Black Girl Caucus were talking. We started off gushing about Forever—Mara Brock Akil’s new Netflix adaptation of Judy Blume’s novel. Even though we’re far past our teen years, we were hooked. But it wasn’t just nostalgia. It was how the show honors Black lives—young, soft, complicated, and whole. As Andscape notes, it lets Black teens be “free — and in love,” giving them space to explore tenderness, identity, and joy with all their messy, glorious nuance.

For a few blessed minutes, we weren’t strategizing or reacting—we were feeling. Laughing. Reflecting. Remembering.

But like most conversations between Black women in this work, the joy eventually gave way to reality. One minute it’s TV, the next it’s, “Did y’all see what Karine Jean-Pierre said?”

Her announcement—leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an Independent—hit like a ripple. Some of us were surprised. Others, not at all. But we all felt something.

Because if Karine Jean-Pierre, one of the most visible Black women in American politics, says she felt “betrayed” and chose to walk away… where does that leave the rest of us?

So many questions. No easy answers.

But these are exactly the kinds of conversations we’re having at Black Girl Caucus. BGC isn’t about pushing a party line—it’s about making space for honest reflection, political clarity, and collective power. It’s where we challenge assumptions and ask the hard questions: Where is our political home? Who truly fights for us? What does it look like to choose ourselves?

A Crack in the Foundation

Jean-Pierre didn’t leave quietly. She called the White House “broken,” criticized party infighting, and said it was time for Americans to “think outside the box.” Whether you read it as disillusionment, strategy, or a personal reckoning—it struck a nerve.

Black women have long been the backbone of the Democratic Party. The strategists. The turnout. The moral compass. But loyalty hasn’t always led to liberation. Too often, our issues are sidelined, our labor taken for granted, and our power only acknowledged when it’s convenient.

We get called “essential.” But not always centered.

A Mirror, Not a Moment

Karine’s exit doesn’t mean we’re all about to switch our voter registration. But it does reflect a shift that’s already underway. A growing number of Black women are rethinking the default. Not abandoning civic engagement, but interrogating it. Asking whether the systems we’ve been told to work within still deserve our faith—or if it’s time to build something new.

Choosing Us

At BGC, we believe in putting ourselves first—and doing it together. That means joy and strategy. Accountability and imagination. It means saying the quiet part out loud: that showing up doesn’t mean settling. That being political doesn’t mean being predictable. That we deserve more than a seat at the table—we deserve the power to build our own.

So whether Karine Jean-Pierre’s announcement made you cheer, critique, or contemplate, you’re not alone. So many of us are reconsidering what comes next.

The truth is, the next political era won’t be built on blind loyalty. It’ll be built on truth-telling, collective care, and the unapologetic power of Black women choosing ourselves.