Bishop Leah Daughtry and I discussed the Democratic National Convention and her trajectory into politics. We also discussed those she served and those who guided her along the way, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, Dr. Dorothy Height, Fannie Lou Hamer, Betty Shabazz, Donna Brazile, Yolanda Caraway, Minyon Moore, Tina Flournoy, and more. Other issues: “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics,” Vice President Harris, Maxine Waters, Vice President Biden, Win with Black Women, Jotaka Eaddy, Buried Truths Podcast, wills, estate planning, and legacy. Bishop Leah Daughtry Bio The Reverend Leah D. Daughtry is a nationally acclaimed organizer-activist, political strategist, author, Faith leader, and public theologian. The daughter of a long line of community organizers and activists, Leah represents the fifth consecutive generation of pastors in the Daughtry family. A multi-faceted leader with a gift for solving highly complex problems with remarkable speed and precision, Leah has a proven capacity to manage multi-billion-dollar budgets and develop internal and external communication strategies. These abilities make her an in-demand consultant with invaluable expertise to organizations seeking exponential growth. She describes her ability to create calm out of chaos as a God-given gift, and everything she has accomplished is a reflection of that gift. She is Principal of On These Things, LLC, which supports various businesses and organizations with strategic planning, project management, and community engagement activities. In addition to a stint on Capitol Hill, Daughtry has previously served as Chief of Staff at the US Department of Labor, Chief of Staff of the Democratic Party, as well as Chief Executive Officer of the 2008 and 2016 Democratic National Conventions, making her the only person in Democratic Party history to hold the position twice. Currently, Bishop Daughtry serves as Presiding Prelate of The House of the Lord Churches. Standing at the intersection of Faith and politics, she works with community activists and organizations, political entities, businesses, and faith leaders and communities to assist them in building coalitions and partnerships that advance the common good. For her work with and within communities of Faith, Religion News Service named her one of the twelve most influential Democrats in the nation on faith and values politics. She has also served as Resident Fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, where she focused on the role faith and values play in American politics. Daughtry is the co-author, along with Donna Brazile, Yolanda Caraway, and Minyon Moore, of the NAACP Image Award-winning For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics (St. Martin's Press, 2018). In it, four of the most powerful African American women in politics share the story of their friendship and how it has changed politics in America. She is a contributing author to Moved By The Spirit: Religion and the Movement for Black Lives (Rowman and Littlefield, 2023). In 2018, Daughtry launched Power Rising, a convening of, by, and for Black women, designed to support them in leveraging their political, economic, and social power to ensure equity, opportunity, and representation for themselves and our communities. This phenomenally successful gathering created an agenda that is turning power into action and using our influence for the betterment of ourselves, our communities, and our country.
