The Radical Imagination of Black Women Ambition, Politics, and Power

Historically, 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 marginalization that shape the political attitudes of Black women. Thus, Dowe asserts that Black women's political ambition often manifests outside formal politics, in activism and community building, a process that is linked to a wider radical vision for a full democracy. This is ambition that occurs in a specific context of marginalization, and both motivation and the conditions surrounding such motivation are critical to understanding the full range of Black women's political work. By focusing on Black women's experiences in elite politics, The Radical Imagination of Black Women is a much-needed intervention in the literature on electoral ambition, women in politics, and candidates and elections.

Pearl K. Ford Dowe is the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Political Science and African American Studies at Emory University. She currently also serves as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. She is the co-author of Remaking the Democratic Party: Lyndon B. Johnson as Native-Son Presidential Candidate and co-editor of the National Review of Black Politics.

Acknowledgments

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