The county where Black women hold power — a few miles from the White House

The hallway was lined with sharply dressed Black women, awaiting the new administration’s first cabinet meeting. Who are they, the deputy fire chief wondered that December day in 2018. She had attended such sessions for eight years, but had never seen the foyer look like this. As the women took their seats at the table, she read their names and titles. These women, she realized, were in charge.