Description
Book SynopsisHistorically, many Black women have viewed political participation as a means to achieve full equality and improve their status in US society. To this end, Black women have long engaged in politics through activism, voting, mobilization, and seeking office. Since 2016 the number of women, particularly Black women, seeking office has increased dramatically. Including interviews with Black women holding political office at the national, state, and local levels, as well as focus group data, The Radical Imagination of Black Women challenges political science''s current approach to political ambition by exploring how Black women decide to seek political office. Pearl K. Ford Dowe argues that ambition for Black women cannot be measured only by political candidacies and ascents of the political chain of power. Black women are uniquely positioned within their communities to influence politics and public policy, which stems from unique variables of socialization, gender and racial identity, and
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. The Radical Imagination of Black Women's Ambition 2. Black Women and Ambition: A Community Decision 3. An Ambition that Resists Marginalization 4. Black Women's Leadership, Connecting Socialization and Careers 5. What Do Black Women Need from Black Women Elected Officials? 6. Conclusion Appendix A: List of Interviewees Appendix B: Interview Questions Appendix C: Focus Group Questions Notes Bibliography Index
