In 2018, I became the first Black woman to run for the Georgia House of Representatives seat in District 103. I did not win the seat. The courage belongs in the story too.
By Dr. Jacqueline Mohair
Publisher’s Reflection | Jacqueline’s Magazine
Before there was Jacqueline’s Magazine, there was a woman willing to put her name forward.
A woman with a commitment to education, a heart for service, and a belief that her voice belonged in conversations about her community’s future.
In 2018, I became the first Black woman to run for the Georgia House of Representatives seat in District 103. I entered as an independent write in candidate, taking a step that would become a meaningful chapter in my life.
Today, I look back on that decision with pride and perspective. It took courage to enter the race. It also gave me an experience that belongs in the story of who I am and why I continue to serve.
As the publisher of Jacqueline’s Magazine, I want to share that chapter honestly. Behind the titles, photographs, programs, and public appearances is a woman who has made difficult decisions, embraced uncertain opportunities, and continued moving forward.
Putting My Name Forward
Running for office makes a private conviction public.
You move from discussing what matters to offering yourself for the responsibility of addressing it. You ask people to consider your ideas, examine your experience, and decide whether they trust you to represent them.
That requires a willingness to be seen and evaluated.
In my case, it also meant entering a space where no Black woman had previously run for that seat. I understood the significance of showing up. My name represented my own candidacy, but my participation also carried a message about who could imagine herself seeking public leadership.
I was willing to take that step.
I cared about having a voice in the decisions that shape our communities. Education, opportunity, and the ability to move forward have remained central to my work. Seeking office was one way I chose to put that commitment into action.
What Being First Means to Me
Being first comes with a responsibility to remember that history extends beyond you.
There were women whose courage helped make my participation possible. There were people whose sacrifices expanded access to the ballot and to public office. My opportunity existed within that larger story.
I hold that with gratitude.
I also think about the woman who might see someone like me enter a race and begin to reconsider her own possibilities. She may be an educator, a business owner, a mother, a minister, or a community volunteer. She may already be serving people every day without recognizing the leadership she carries.
Representation can help her see that experience differently.
Through my work with women and girls, I have come to appreciate how much it matters to see someone take a step you have only imagined. A visible example can make a distant possibility feel closer.
My candidacy became part of the example I could offer.
When I encourage another woman to use her voice, I can speak as someone who has put her own name forward. When I tell a young woman that leadership is available to her, I can share a chapter in which I accepted that possibility for myself.
The Outcome Was Part of the Experience
I did not win the seat.
That truth belongs in this story alongside the courage it took to run.
An honest account of leadership needs room for efforts that do not produce the outcome we hoped for. It needs room for reflection, disappointment, learning, and the decisions we make afterward.
There is dignity in stepping forward with a sincere desire to serve.
There is also wisdom in allowing an experience to teach you. Time gives us the opportunity to examine what we attempted, what we understood then, and what we see more clearly now.
Looking back, I recognize my candidacy as a meaningful act of participation. I entered the race. I became part of the district’s electoral history. I gave myself an experience that would remain with me long after that election season ended.
I am proud of that chapter.
Service Continued
My commitment to helping people continued through education, ministry, advocacy, and community work.
Through Trinity International University of Ambassadors, TIUA School of Business, and Trinity Girls Network, I have continued creating opportunities for people to learn, grow, and recognize their potential.
The work takes different forms.
Sometimes it means helping someone develop the confidence to pursue a goal. Sometimes it means bringing people together around a shared concern. Sometimes it means giving a woman or girl the opportunity to speak and knowing when to listen.
Publishing has become another expression of that commitment.
Stories can preserve contributions that might otherwise be overlooked. They can introduce us to people whose experiences expand our understanding. They can also help us look at our own lives with greater honesty.
That is part of what I want Jacqueline’s Magazine to offer.
Returning to My Own Story
For years, much of my work has involved recognizing others, creating platforms, and encouraging people to share what they have learned.
Now I am making room to tell more of my own story.
That requires the same care I would want for anyone featured in these pages. My experiences deserve accuracy, context, and reflection. They also deserve to be told in my voice.
My run for District 103 is an important part of that account.
It speaks to my willingness to enter unfamiliar territory. It reflects my interest in public service. It helps explain why I continue encouraging women to prepare themselves, take their aspirations seriously, and participate in the spaces where decisions are made.
I know that putting yourself forward can feel personal because it is personal. Your name is attached. Your effort is visible. The outcome matters to you.
Faith has helped me continue through the uncertainty that comes with meaningful work.
Galatians 6:9 encourages us to remain faithful in doing good and to resist growing weary. I return to that encouragement as I consider the responsibilities and opportunities still ahead.
What I Want Another Woman to Know
Perhaps you are reading this while considering a step of your own.
You may be thinking about public office, a leadership position, further education, a business, or a community initiative. You may have spent years helping others prepare while postponing your own opportunity.
Give yourself permission to examine that calling seriously.
Learn what the responsibility requires. Ask thoughtful questions. Prepare for the work. Seek sound counsel. Then make your decision with an understanding of both the opportunity and the commitment involved.
You deserve to consider what you could contribute.
My own journey has included moments when I stepped forward without knowing how everything would unfold. Running for District 103 was one of them.
I cannot promise anyone that courage will produce the result she wants. I can say that I am grateful I allowed myself to participate.
District 103 Today: A Race Too Close to Call
As I reflect on my 2018 candidacy, I am also watching the close race between Representative Soo Hong and Chris Luchey. At the time of writing, the outcome remains too close to call.
Having once sought this seat myself, I appreciate the commitment it takes to step forward and the responsibility that comes with representing a community. As the counting process continues, I hope everyone remains focused on the people of District 103 and the work ahead.
A Chapter Worth Remembering
In 2018, I became the first Black woman to run for the Georgia House of Representatives seat in District 103.
That is part of my history.
So is the work that followed.
Today, I am an educator, minister, advocate, author, and publisher who continues to care deeply about opportunity and service. My experiences have given me more to reflect on, more to share, and more reason to approach leadership with humility and purpose.
Through Jacqueline’s Magazine, I intend to preserve stories that matter, including the chapters that reveal what it takes to begin.
This is one of mine.
I put my name forward. I embraced the opportunity to serve. And I continue the work of Bridging Gaps and Changing Lives.
Published in The History Issue
