Only two Black women have ever been elected to the U.S. Senate. The most recent, Kamala Harris, left to become Vice President and the Senate now has no Black women again. Oakland’s Barbara Lee, who is running for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat, could be the third in American history. But she faces the same obstacles as the other Black female candidates before her, including fundraising and being taken seriously by political insiders and the media. This hour we’ll explore the barriers they face, and the quandary surrounding Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pledge to name a Black woman to the Senate should Feinstein leave before her term ends.
Bias and Barriers Black Women Running for the Senate Must Overcome
UNITED STATES - MAY 9: Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., attends the Congressional Black Caucus's National Summit on Democracy & Race near Capitol Hill on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Guests:
Shira Stein, Washington DC correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle
Aimee Allison, founder and president, She the People - a national organization dedicated to building the political power of women of color
Kimberly Ellis, director of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women - former executive director of Emerge California.
Cheri Beasley, former North Carolina Supreme Court chief justice and former North Carolina Senate candidate
Sponsored