'When You Fire Up a Black Woman, She Doesn't Go to the Polls Alone'

When Doug Jones won Alabama's seat in the U.S. Senate, much of the national discussion centered around black women -- 98 percent of whom voted for him over Roy Moore, an accused pedophile who was suspended from the state's Supreme Court for refusing to recognize the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage.

That wasn't the first time black women swayed an election. But to many, it was the first time so much of the population and media took notice of the political power of black women.

"Frankly, the 23 million black women in this country are being underrepresented and underserved," says Glynda Carr.

She's the co-founder of Higher Heights for America, an organization dedicated to recruiting, training and supporting black women to run for office. She's also our first guest this year on "The 23%: Conversations With Women in Government."

In this episode, Carr talks about the unique challenges that black female candidates face and why 2018 could see a wave of black women elected on the state and local level.

"When you fire up a black woman, she doesn't go to the polls alone," says Carr. "She brings her house, her block, her church and her sorority."

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