Bias and Barriers Black Women Running for the Senate Must Overcome

KQED's Forum

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.

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.