🗳️ Karen Bass is fighting for reelection in LA. But her campaign is raising a question that goes far beyond Los Angeles — what do we actually expect from Black leaders? Bass came into office as one of the most accomplished politicians ever elected mayor of a major American city. Congressional Black Caucus chair. Decades in public service. Historic as LA's first woman mayor and only its second Black mayor. And yet her first term — shaped by the 2025 wildfires, a homelessness crisis, and rising costs — has left many voters frustrated. Political scientist Andra Gillespie told Blavity the conversation around Bass marks a shift: "People were not questioning her technical skills." The frustration, she says, isn't about competence — it's about results. Black leaders are no longer just expected to prove they can govern. They're expected to fix decades-old problems, fast. "Black women are often expected to be both transformational and flawless," said LaNiece Jones of Black Women Organized ...