DOCSLIB.ORG

News and Social Media Representations of Three Black Female Political Candidates Running for the House of Representatives in the 2018 Midterm Election

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
News and Social Media Representations of Three Black Female Political Candidates Running for the House of Representatives in the 2018 Midterm Election Politicking While Black: News and Social Media Representations of Three Black Female Political Candidates Running for the House of Representatives in the 2018 Midterm Election Item Type text; Electronic Thesis Authors Cabrera-Peterson, Zeina Atalig Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 29/09/2021 02:38:05 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/631484 Politicking While Black: News and Social Media Representations of Three Black Female Political Candidates Running for the House of Representatives in the 2018 Midterm Election by Zeina Cabrera-Peterson Copyright © Zeina Cabrera-Peterson 2018 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2018 2 3 I. Acknowledgments I dedicate my thesis to my grandmother, Evelyn Jacobs. I hope I made you proud, my gramcracker. I love you to the moon. I want to praise my parents for their unconditional love and support, and for always pushing me to be the best I can be. Thank you for always encouraging me and for always making me feel like anything is possible, even when it is hard to see. Thank you for all the sacrifices you have made and the multiple paths you paved in order for me to receive a great education. I could not have done this without you. I am the luckiest woman in the world to have such amazing parents by my side and am extremely blessed to call you mine. I want to give the biggest, hearty appreciation to my chair, Professor Jeannine Relly, for making my graduate school experience extremely memorable. I have learned so much from you and am so lucky to have you as not only my thesis advisor, but also my mentor. You have been my biggest supporter and cheerleader throughout my entire grad school experience and for that I am extremely grateful. I also want to thank the most amazing committee, Professor Linda Lumsden, Dr. Kevin Henry, and Dr. Bryan Carter for the phenomenal support, guidance and endless encouragement beyond my thesis. To my amazing friends, I love you. You turned my tears into laughs and have never failed to make me smile. Thank you for your patience, the gazillion-and-one hugs, and the early morning/late night phone calls. Y’all are my heroes. And lastly, to my rock. Thank you so much JB for being my biggest hype man. You have no idea how much I appreciate your never-ending support and motivation. 4 Table of Contents I. Acknowledgments .........................................................................................................3 II. Abstract .........................................................................................................................5 III. Introduction ...................................................................................................................5 IV. Background: The U.S. context during the Trump era ....................................................7 V. Literature Review...........................................................................................................9 VI. Methodology ................................................................................................................15 VII. Findings........................................................................................................................22 VIII. Discussion ....................................................................................................................40 IX. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................44 Appendix A: Candidates’ District Demographics ................................................................... 45 Appendix B: News article and Twitter Codebook ............................................................. 46 References ......................................................................................................................................... 47 5 II. Abstract African American women have been the leading force in political campaigns long before they had the right to vote and hold office. Today, roughly 5% of African American woman hold political positions (CAWP, 2018). However, despite their political participation, there are few studies that examine representation of Black female political candidates in news media. This study employed a content analysis of news reports and three Black female candidates’ Twitter campaign accounts to examine how news media represented these three, first-time candidates and to analyze how these candidates represented themselves on Twitter. Based on the overall analysis of a census of newspaper articles and Twitter candidate accounts, the study found that race and gender was not a leading area of news coverage or self-representation in tweets. The research found that these candidates were mostly identified by their former occupations and were not questioned because of who they are, but because of what they do. These findings are significant because it challenges and reshapes gender and race identities. III. Introduction The 1992 election was known to be “The Year of the Woman.” Twenty-six years later in the months leading up to the 2018 midterm election, women candidates were poised to making history, setting yet again another ground-breaking year (Segers, 2018). A record of 53 women ran for Congress and 476 women ran for the House of Representatives. Within that number, 58 Black women ran for seats in the House and Senate (Black Women in Politics, 2018. Given the thin line of journalism studies and communication research on Black political candidates (Chaudhary, 1980; Caliendo & Mcllwain, 2006; Zilber & Niven, 2000), in general, and female Black political candidates more specifically, this study examines how news media represented these candidates and how they represented themselves on social media during the election. 6 The 2018 midterm election delivered a history teacher, a nurse, and a gun control activist to Congress. With no expertise in career politics, these first-time African American candidates defied the odds to join the House Representatives. Jahana Hayes, once a teen mom and 2016 National Teacher of the Year, now represents Connecticut-District 5, the state’s first Black member of Congress. Born with a pre-existing heart condition, registered nurse Lauren Underwood, who also worked as an advisor in the U.S. Department of Health and Services under the Obama administration, is now the first Black woman to represent Illinois’ 14th district. After the shooting death of her son, Lucy McBath, a former Delta flight attendant turned gun-control activist, is now the first Black woman to represent Georgia’s District-6. News media play an unquestionable role in influencing the public’s expectations and perceptions about politicians (Chang and Hitchon, 1997, p. 29). As the “eyes, the ears, and the conscience” of society, journalists can inform people on issues and policies and expose injustices that could impact the public interest (Oswald, 1993, p. 389). However, journalists also have employed racial stereotypes when reporting non-white candidates (Caliendo & Mcllwain, 2006; Mendelberg, 2017; Barber & Gandy, 1990; Highton, 2004). News media overrepresentation of Blacks as violent, deviant, aggressive, and criminal bleeds over to public opinion and expectations of Black politicians, regardless of their qualifications (Caliendo & Mcllwain, 2006; Moskowitz & Stroh, 1994). Because news media tend to be the primary source of political information, it is essential to examine if and how these women were portrayed in news coverage, or if race and gender, shaped political attitudes toward them. This research is a case study that will focus on newspaper and social media representations of Hayes, Underwood, and McBath. This study will expand to the existing research that has examined the representation of Black politicians in media and adding a thin line 7 of research on the news media representation of Black women in politics (Reeves, 1997; Caliendo & Mcllwain, 2006; Mendelberg, 2017; Barber & Gandy, 1990; Highton, 2004). The following sections outline the background for this study and literature that explores historically how African Americans have been represented in media. The study then reviews studies examining news media representation of Black political candidates which can sometimes result in lack of voter support. The study also reviews literature on the representation of women in politics and how news has attached female politicians to topics such as abortion, childcare, and the environment as well as representations of African American women in politics. The literature review concludes with studies of politicians use of social media platforms during campaigns. IV. The U.S. context for this study Fifty-four years ago, before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it was legal to discriminate against individuals because of the color of their skin. Then, in 2008 came “Hope”—the catalyst slogan that carried many in the nation for eight years in an era where a Black man, Barack Hussein Obama, became the first African American to become the Commander and Chief of the United States of America. Under his leadership, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Woodrow Wilson's Conversion Experience: the President and the Federal Woman Suffrage Amendment Beth Behn University of Massachusetts Amherst, [email protected]
    University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Open Access Dissertations 2-2012 Woodrow Wilson's Conversion Experience: The President and the Federal Woman Suffrage Amendment Beth Behn University of Massachusetts Amherst, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Behn, Beth, "Woodrow Wilson's Conversion Experience: The rP esident and the Federal Woman Suffrage Amendment" (2012). Open Access Dissertations. 511. https://doi.org/10.7275/e43w-h021 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations/511 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WOODROW WILSON’S CONVERSION EXPERIENCE: THE PRESIDENT AND THE FEDERAL WOMAN SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT A Dissertation Presented by BETH A. BEHN Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY February 2012 Department of History © Copyright by Beth A. Behn 2012 All Rights Reserved WOODROW WILSON’S CONVERSION EXPERIENCE: THE PRESIDENT AND THE FEDERAL WOMAN SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT A Dissertation Presented by BETH A. BEHN Approved as to style and content by: _________________________________ Joyce Avrech Berkman, Chair _________________________________ Gerald Friedman, Member _________________________________ David Glassberg, Member _________________________________ Gerald McFarland, Member ________________________________________ Joye Bowman, Department Head Department of History ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would never have completed this dissertation without the generous support of a number of people. It is a privilege to finally be able to express my gratitude to many of them.
    [Show full text]
  • Bios of Speakers
    Biographical List of Conference Participants, alphabetized by last name Andrew G. Biggs is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where his work focuses on retirement income policy. Before joining AEI, he was the principal deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration. In 2005, he worked on Social Security reform at the White House National Economic Council. In 2013, the Society of Actuaries appointed Biggs co-vice chair of its Blue Ribbon Panel on public pension underfunding. In 2014, Institutional Investor magazine named him one of the 40 most influential people in the retirement world. In 2016, he was appointed by President Obama to be a member of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico. Biggs holds a bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, master’s degrees from Cambridge University and the University of London, and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. Donald J. Boyd is director of fiscal studies at the Rockefeller Institute of Government. Boyd has more than three decades of experience analyzing state and local government fiscal issues, and has written or co-authored many of the Rockefeller Institute’s reports on the fiscal climate in the 50 states. Boyd currently is principal investigator for the Institute’s Pension Simulation Project, which is examining risks associated with public pension plans. His previous positions include executive director of the State Budget Crisis Task Force created by former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker and former New York Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch; director of the economic and revenue staff for the New York State Division of the Budget; and director of the tax staff for the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee.
    [Show full text]
  • Affidavit of Eric O'keefe in Support of the Motion of Tiie Club for Growtii and Its Directors to Quash Subpoenas
    STATE OF WISCONSIN BEFORE THE JOHN DOE JUDGE COLUMBIA COUNTY CASE NO. 13JD00011 DANE COUNTY CASE NO. 13JD000009 IN THE MATTER OF A JOHN DODGE COUNTY CASE NO. 13JD000006 DOE PROCEEDING IOWA COUNTY CASE NO. 13JD000001 MILWAUKEE COUNTY CASE NO. 13JD000023 AFFIDAVIT OF ERIC O'KEEFE IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION OF TIIE CLUB FOR GROWTII AND ITS DIRECTORS TO QUASH SUBPOENAS ERIC O'KEEFE, of lawful age, being duly sworn under oath, hereby deposes and states: 1. I am one of three Directors of the Wisconsin Club for Growth, Inc. (the "Club"), a corporation organized under the laws of Wisconsin and recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. 2. The Club has two other directors, Charles Talbot and Eleanore Hawley. 3. I have personal knowledge of the Club's activities bet\veen 2009 and the date of this affidavit. Alnong other things, I have personal kno\vledge of the individuals and entities who have supported the Club's mission and have donated their time and resources to the Club. I also have personal knowledge of the decisions the Club has n1ade to spend or donate its money and time in Wisconsin or in other states between 2009 and the date of this affidavit. 1 believe that n1y personal knowledge, or the information and belief I have gained through investigation, is coextensive with the knowledge and information of the Club relative to the topics addressed in this affidavit 4. Many individuals and entities have donated money to the Club since 2009. These supporters have told me that they donate because they agree with the Club's beliefs regarding society and our democracy, and they kno\v that the Club will use its resources wisely to promote our shared vision.
    [Show full text]
  • Partisan Gridlock in the Contiguous States: Credit Ratings, Economic
    The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Honors College Spring 2014 Partisan Gridlock in the Contiguous States: Credit Ratings, Economic Stability, and the Ramifications of oliticalP Competitiveness, Polarization, and Party Control in U.S. State Legislatures, 1992-2010 Logan Nee University of Maine - Main Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors Part of the Law and Politics Commons, Political History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Nee, Logan, "Partisan Gridlock in the Contiguous States: Credit Ratings, Economic Stability, and the Ramifications of Political Competitiveness, Polarization, and Party Control in U.S. State Legislatures, 1992-2010" (2014). Honors College. 145. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/145 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors College by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PARTISAN GRIDLOCK IN THE CONTIGUOUS STATES: CREDIT RATINGS, ECONOMIC STABILITY, AND THE RAMIFICATIONS OF POLITICAL COMPETITIVENESS, POLARIZATION, AND PARTY CONTROL IN U.S. STATE LEGISLATURES, 1992-2010 by Logan Nee A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for a Degree with Honors (Financial Economics and Political Science) The Honors College University of Maine May 2014 Advisory Committee: Michael Montgomery, Associate Professor of Economics, Advisor Hsiang-Tai Cheng, Associate Professor of Economics Jordan LaBouff, CLAS-Honors Preceptor of Psychology, Honors College Richard Powell, Professor of Political Science Gregory White, Professor of Economics ABSTRACT Today’s complex sociopolitical context features an increasing determent of fundamental bipartisan principles and negotiation at both the federal and state levels of government.
    [Show full text]
  • Liberal Right-Of-Center Left Wing Conservative Green Free-Market Far Left Libertarian Progressive Right-Wing Left of Center Right-Leaning
    LIBERAL RIGHT-OF-CENTER LEFT WING CONSERVATIVE GREEN FREE-MARKET FAR LEFT LIBERTARIAN PROGRESSIVE RIGHT-WING LEFT OF CENTER RIGHT-LEANING Political and Policy-Oriented Giving After Citizens United: An Update to CRC’s 2017 Analysis BY: SHANE DEVINE, MICHAEL WATSON DECEMBER 2020 Political and Policy‐Oriented Giving After Citizens United: An Update to CRC’s 2017 Analysis BY SHANE DEVINE AND MICHAEL WATSON DECEMBER 2020 Summary: CRC researchers find that the le‐wing advantage in elecon funding through public policy and “dark money” groups increased in the 2018 elecons. In the 2018 elecon cycle, liberal grantmakers increased their public policy 501(c) (3) giving by nearly 10 percent to $8.1 billion while conservave giving remained stable at $2.2 billion—increasing the imbalance from nearly 3.4 to 1 in 2014 to 3.7 to 1 in 2018. “Dark money” funding through 501(c)(4) groups flipped from a 3.6 to 1 advantage for conservaves to a nearly 2 to 1 ($81 million to $42 million) advantage for liberals. I. Introduction In February 2018, Michael Hartmann and Michael Watson of the Capital Research Center pub- lished a report summarizing their research into the aftereffects of the January 2010 Citizens United decision, in which the Supreme Court held that it was unconstitutional to limit dona- tions supporting independent political expenditures provided that neither the expenditures nor the communications are formally “coordinated” with any particular candidate’s campaign. Based on the idea that Citizens United and related cases transformed political spending by en- larging existing organizations and spurring the creation of new organizations to influence poli- tics and inform policy, their report sought to answer a question: Did it similarly change philan- thropic support of traditional public policy organizations, effectively displacing and shifting support from those organizations to “Citizens United” groups? CAPITAL RESEARCH CENTER 1 II.
    [Show full text]
  • From God Terms to Gaga: the Bad Romance Between Motherhood and Female Suffragists in American Film
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 5-2015 From God Terms to Gaga: The Bad Romance between Motherhood and Female Suffragists in American Film Mary Ellis Glymph University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Performance Studies Commons, Rhetoric Commons, United States History Commons, and the Women's History Commons Recommended Citation Glymph, Mary Ellis, "From God Terms to Gaga: The Bad Romance between Motherhood and Female Suffragists in American Film. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2015. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/3333 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Mary Ellis Glymph entitled "From God Terms to Gaga: The Bad Romance between Motherhood and Female Suffragists in American Film." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in English. Lisa King, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Charles Maland, Tanita Saenkhum Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R.
    [Show full text]
  • Atrazine and the Roots of ALEC's State Data Quality Act | PR Watch
    11/26/12 Atrazine and the Roots of ALEC's State Data Quality Act | PR Watch Contact Us News Feeds Podcasts Privacy Policy RSS Feeds Volunteer Enter keywords... Email Address Zip Code Sign Up Reports Take Action Latest News Media SourceWatch Publications About Us Why Donate? NEWS Atrazine and the Roots of ALEC's State Data Quality Act by Rebekah Wilce — March 9, 2012 - 8:30am Topics: Agriculture, Corporations, Health Projects: ALEC Exposed, Atrazine Exposed Share this The herbicide atrazine, one of the most heavily used herbicides in the United States has been found in almost 94 percent of U.S. groundwater and can harm human health in multiple ways. ALEC has promoted "model" legislation friendly to Syngenta, atrazine's primary manufacturer, across the country. At least once, this legislation was introduced to ALEC by a lobbyist paid by Syngenta. The "Data Quality Act" Find us on Facebook In 2000, as exposed by a front-page article in the Washington Post, a chemical industry lobbyist slipped a couple of lines of text Center for Media and into a federal appropriations bill "without congressional Democracy discussion or debate" that effectively changed the way chemicals Like are regulated. The amendment was called the "Data Quality Act." Jim Tozzi, an industry lobbyist, known as "the master craftsman 42,987 people like Center for Media and when it comes to working the regulatory process," helped Phillip Democracy. Morris fight proposed regulations. Tozzi is a former deputy administrator of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under President Ronald Reagan and a Washington lobbyist at the firm Multinational Business Services and head of the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gospel of Bernie Sanders Discourse Analysis for a Radical Democratic Politics Yuliana Ocampo
    The Gospel of Bernie Sanders Discourse Analysis for a Radical Democratic Politics Yuliana Ocampo Master in Applied Cultural Analysis Supervisor Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences Elias Mellander TKAM02 – Spring 2020 The Gospel of Bernie Sanders 2 Table of Contents……………………………...….…. 2 Abstract……………………………………………………………..….…….... 3 Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………...... 4 Overview………………………………………………………….…….……... 5 1. Introduction………………………………………………………………... 6 Political Revolution in Contemporary American Politics………...………………………. 6 Entering the Field………………………………………………………..………………….. 8 Aim………………………………………………………………………..………………… 11 2. Previous Research………………………………………………………... 13 3. Theoretical Framework………….………………………………………. 17 Gramsci and Hegemony…………………………………………..……………………….. 17 4. Methodology + Data Collection…………………………………..……... 21 5. Ethical Consideration……………………………………………………. 27 6. Analysis + Discussion………………………………………….…………. 29 Democracy and American Political Spectrum: Liberal, Conservative, and Radical.…..29 Grassroots, The Resistance and Presidential Debates…………..………………...…….. 31 Diversity Around A Shared Issue…………………………………………………...…….. 33 Barnstorms and Solidarity Events……………………………………………..…………. 34 Lived Experiences and Activism…………………………………………..………………. 38 Conflict, Division, and Vision…………………………………………..………………….. 46 Construction of Common Sense……………………………………..…………………….. 49 Theory and Praxis…………………………………………………..……………………….53 7. Conclusions……………………………………………………………..… 59 Epilogue…………………………………………………………………………………..… 60 Glossary………………………………………………………………………
    [Show full text]
  • Eric Stern ([email protected])
    Race to the Top Racial Prejudice Toward Minority Candidates at Different Levels and Types of Office By Eric Wasserman Stern Yale University Department of Political Science Advisor: John Henderson 20 April 2015 Stern 1 “This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, Black and White, I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy — particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own. “But I have asserted a firm conviction — a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people — that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.” Barack Obama 18 March 2008 Stern 2 Acknowledgements To grossly misquote the well-known Latin phrase, completing my senior thesis was only possible because of the giants on whose shoulders I stood. I cannot express enough thanks to Yale University and the Political Science Department for the continued support and encouragement these institutions provided. In particular, I would like to thank John Henderson, my academic advisor, for his counsel, conversation, and invaluable review as I completed this study. His innovative thinking and guidance, especially when my original thesis ideas fell through, made him the ideal advisor. I would also like to thank Greg Huber, John Bullock, Eitan Hersh, David Mayhew, and Peter Aronow for advice over the course of the last year; Vesla Weaver for help creating my survey experiment; and Blaine Hudson for enthusiasm, encouragement, and assistance regardless of the administrative mess I managed to create.
    [Show full text]
  • Les Élections De Mi-Mandat
    École de politique appliquée Volume VII - Numéro 1 Faculté des lettres et sciences humaines Hiver 2019 Les élections de mi-mandat aux États-Unis Karine Prémont Les présidents et les primaires : parallèles entre la purge de 1938 et les élections de 2018 Lucas Bellemare Les élections de mi-mandat : un choix religieux pour les électeurs de la Ceinture biblique Sara Sfaya La démocratie directe en action : le cas des réformes du système de découpage électoral lors des élections de mi-mandat 2018 Alex Paquette-Guay L’élection du 83e gouverneur de la Géorgie : un portrait de la campagne publicitaire de Brian Kemp, un « conservateur politiquement incorrect » Charles-Antoine Millette Revue de l’École de politique appliquée de l’Université de Sherbrooke Directrice de la revue : Mme Isabelle Lacroix Rédactrice en chef : Mme Eugénie Dostie-Goulet Éditeur : L’École de politique appliquée ISSN (électronique) : 1921-7803 Dépôt légal Bibliothèque nationale du Canada Bibliothèque nationale du Québec © École de politique appliquée, 2019 Tout droit de traduction, d’adaptation et de reproduction par tous procédés, même partiellement, réservés pour tous pays et interdits sans l’autorisation de la Revue. Nous joindre : CAHIERS DE RECHERCHE EN POLITIQUE APPLIQUÉE École de politique appliquée, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 boul. de l’Université, Sherbrooke, Qc, J1K 2R1 [email protected] Téléphone : 819 821-8000 poste 65612 Télécopieur : 819 821-7938 Cahiers de recherche en politique appliquée ii Revue de l’École de politique appliquée de l’Université
    [Show full text]
  • Money, More Problems Fleeting Victories for Diversity on the Bench
    ASSOCIATED PRESS/ERIC GAY PRESS/ERIC ASSOCIATED More Money, More Problems Fleeting Victories for Diversity on the Bench By Michele L. Jawando and Billy Corriher October 2015 WWW.AMERICANPROGRESS.ORG More Money, More Problems Fleeting Victories for Diversity on the Bench By Michele L. Jawando and Billy Corriher October 2015 Contents 1 Introduction and summary 4 The problem 7 Methodology and results 11 Elections in which diverse incumbents were voted off the bench 11 Ohio 13 Texas 14 Wisconsin 16 Alabama 17 North Carolina 20 Recommendations 24 Conclusion 26 Appendix 43 About the authors and acknowledgments 44 Endnotes Introduction and summary As America winds down its celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to- Montgomery March and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the country continues to reflect on the progress made toward racial and political equality. One cannot help but recognize the crucial role the judiciary played and continues to play in achieving this progress, whether it was the U.S. Supreme Court declaring “sepa- rate is not equal,” as it did in Brown v. Board of Education,1 or the more recent decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.2 While the role of the federal judiciary and the decisions it metes out are often examined, far less focus and study is directed to the role of state courts and their impact and influence on ordinary citizens. Even less is known about who sits on these courts and their backgrounds, both personal and professional. While our courts are supposed to be fair arbiters of justice for all, communities are forced to wrestle with the fact that their judicial benches are filled with people who are not representative of their constituents.
    [Show full text]
  • THE STORY of LUCY BURNS Independent Research Study Abstract the Story of Women’S Suffrage Cannot Be Properly Shared Without the Name Lucy Burns
    THE STORY OF LUCY BURNS Independent Research Study Abstract The story of Women’s Suffrage cannot be properly shared without the name Lucy Burns. As a major contributor to both the American Suffrage Movement as well as the British Suffrage Movement, Burns sacrificed much of her life to give women a voice. This is her story. Twomey, Lauren The 1913 Women’s Suffrage March would not have taken place without a number of influential women that contributed their time and efforts into creating “one of the most impressively beautiful spectacles ever staged in this country.”1 Early on that March morning, the parade organizers lined up along with five thousand other marchers to walk on Pennsylvania Avenue advocating for their right to have a larger contribution to society. Often when we hear about this day, the credit goes to a woman named Alice Paul. One of the main contributors to the March who is known as “a vocal leader of the twentieth century women’s suffrage movement who advocated for the 19th amendment”. 2 Paul was an outstanding activist who fought long and hard for women’s rights in the United States, however she was not alone. While studying social work in England, Paul met Lucy Burns. 3 Burns was born in Brooklyn, New York to an Irish Catholic family.4 Edward Burns, Lucy’s father a bank president wanted Lucy to have access to the best education she could receive as a woman at that time. Lucy attended Vassar College where she was “hailed as a brilliant scholar.”5 In England the two women were both active members of Emmeline Pankhurst’s Suffragette Movement.
    [Show full text]