Podcasts about sanbonmatsu

In this thought-provoking episode of Our Hen House, Mariann Sullivan interviews philosopher John Sanbonmatsu about his groundbreaking book The Omnivore’s Deception: What We Get Wrong About Meat, Animals, and Ourselves. With intellectual rigor and a touch of irreverence, Sanbonmatsu dismantles the cultural narratives that keep some people comfortably consuming animals while knowing better. From exposing the “humane meat” mythology popularized by…

 Is “ethical meat” just a comforting bedtime story for omnivores? Philosopher and author John Sanbonmatsu joins me to unpack the myths that keep animal exploitation hidden in plain sight — from the illusion of “humane” farming to the deep cultural stories we tell ourselves to feel morally innocent. Drawing from his new book The Omnivore's Deception, John explores why confronting speciesism, and the civilizational systems built on it, is essential not just for animals, but for the future of life on Earth. This is a thought-provoking, no-B.S. conversation that doesn't shy away from uncomfortable realities.

John Sanbonmatsu talks about his new book, "The Omnivore's Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves".

On this episode Hope talks with author John Sanbonmatsu about his new book The Omnivore's Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves. This engaging book covers a variety of philosophical aspects of meat-eating culture, offers insight into our fraught relationship with farmed animal and explores the importance of incorporating love into our ethics. John and Hope discuss humanewashing and the deception around the reality of animal farming, the cognitive dissonance of loving and eating animals, and how eating meat is an aspect  of the US culture wars. They also debate a pessimistic vs. optimistic view of the trajectory of the last few decades of vegan and animal activism. John Sanbonmatsu is a Professor of Philosophy at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, where he teaches ethics and politics, among other topics.   He is the author of The Postmodern Prince and editor of the book Critical Theory and Animal Liberation. His new book, The Omnivore's Deception:  What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves (New York University Press) challenges the myth of "enlightened" omnivorism and the idea that we can have our meat and our conscience too.  MUSICAL BONUS:At the conclusion of the episode, we share with you a new song by vegan musician Brent Ratkovich titled “Trying.” This beautiful song is a heartfelt love letter to farmed animals that conveys a profound vegan message.Resources:Book: The Omnivore's DeceptionHumane Hoax Panel Discussion: July 19, information and registration here: https://www.humanehoax.org/upcoming-eventBrent Ratkovich: preview and purchase music: brentratkovich.bandcamp.comSupport this Podcast:Hope for the Animals PodcastCompassionate Living

The meat industry and its defenders promise ethical consumption and sustainable farming, but animal agriculture fuels ecological destruction, entrenches human supremacy, and masks cruelty with comforting myths. John Sanbonmatsu, philosopher and author of The Omnivore's Deception, shatters the myths of “humane meat” and the 'naturalness' of eating meat, and explains why abolishing the animal economy is essential to living an ethical human life. Highlights include:  Why growing up as the child of a Jewish mother and Japanese-American father in the U.S. sensitized John to bullying and injustice - against both human and nonhuman animals; Why the origins of human domination over animals are rooted in patriarchy and an ancient human estrangement from animals, and reinforced today by a toxic nexus of masculinity, human supremacy, neoliberal capitalism, and pronatalism; Why focusing only on factory farming misses the fundamental problem of human domination of animals and the planet - and how books like Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and the new American pastoral ethos perpetuate myths of so-called ethical meat while attacking the animal rights movement; Why justifying meat-eating as “natural” is ethically bankrupt - on par with past appeals to nature to justify slavery or denying women's rights - and how vegans and vegetarians provoke defensive ridicule because they reveal uncomfortable truths; Why the flood of scientific studies on animal cognition and emotion hasn't changed behavior - and how cultural fascination with AI and plant consciousness distracts from our brutal treatment of fully sentient animals; Why bad faith - our self-deception about how we treat animals - is the most destructive force preventing moral progress, and why what we're doing to animals deserves to be called 'evil'; How empathy, an evolved trait we share with animals and desperately need to nurture, is being eroded by increasing social disconnection and anti-empathy tech bro ideologies; Why lab meat, also known as 'clean meat', is not the solution to speciesism and human supremacism and consuming our way to animal liberation is a delusion; Why the animal rights movement is being undermined by the money pouring into utilitarian effective altruism and “realistic” approaches - when true compassion demands not animal welfarism, but the abolition of animal exploitation and a direct challenge to the entrenched power structures that prevent moral progress. See episode website for show notes, links, and transcript:  https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/john-sanbonmatsu   OVERSHOOT | Shrink Toward Abundance OVERSHOOT tackles today's interlocked social and ecological crises driven by humanity's excessive population and consumption. The podcast explores needed narrative, behavioral, and system shifts for recreating human life in balance with all life on Earth. With expert guests from wide-ranging disciplines, we examine the forces underlying overshoot: from patriarchal pronatalism that is fueling overpopulation, to growth-biased economic systems that lead to consumerism and social injustice, to the dominant worldview of human supremacy that subjugates animals and nature. Our vision of shrinking toward abundance inspires us to seek pathways of transformation that go beyond technological fixes toward a new humanity that honors our interconnectedness with all beings.  Hosted by Nandita Bajaj and Alan Ware. Brought to you by Population Balance. Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://www.populationbalance.org/subscribe Support our work with a one-time or monthly donation: https://www.populationbalance.org/donate Learn more at https://www.populationbalance.org Copyright 2025 Population Balance

John Sanbonmatsu, The Omnivore's Deception John Sanbonmatsu is a writer, philosopher, and magician. He is author of The Omnivore's Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals and Ourselves (New York University Press) and of The Postmodern Prince: Critical Theory, Left Strategy, and the Making of a New Political Subject (Monthly Review Press). John received his BA from Hampshire College and his PhD in the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California at Santa Cruz. John is Professor of Philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, where he teaches ethics, politics, philosophy of film, and existentialism (among other courses). John lives in the Boston area, where he performs as a semi-professional magician and mentalist. Follow John on Twitter (@SanbonmatsuJ) and Blue Sky (@jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social)     Links mentioned in this program: Marti Kheel Karen Davis

John Sanbonmatsu, Our Resistance to Rethinking the Meat Economy John Sanbonmatsu is a writer, philosopher, and magician. He is author of The Omnivore's Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals and Ourselves (New York University Press) and of The Postmodern Prince: Critical Theory, Left Strategy, and the Making of a New Political Subject (Monthly Review Press). John received his BA from Hampshire College and his PhD in the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California at Santa Cruz. John is Professor of Philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, where he teaches ethics, politics, philosophy of film, and existentialism (among other courses). John lives in the Boston area, where he performs as a semi-professional magician and mentalist. Follow John on Twitter (@SanbonmatsuJ) and Blue Sky (@jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social) Links mentioned in the podcast: Cell-Based Meat Debate, Resolve: Cell-Based Meat is Good for Animals America Is Done Pretending About Meat Clean Meat Hoax  

John is a writer, philosopher, cultural critic and magician. He is best known for his book, The Postmodern Prince, and for his more recent work in Critical Animal Studies where he edited the collection "Critical Theory and Animal Liberation". Also in that field his book "The Omnivore's Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and the Nature of Moral Life" will be published by NYU Press in 2024. He has taught at the University of Illinois Chicago, DePaul University, and the University of California Santa Cruz, and is currently Associate Professor of Philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, where he teaches ethics, politics, existentialism, and other courses.  In his spare time, he performs as a professional magician and mentalist. In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what's real?” & “who matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We discuss: 00:00 Welcome 02:10 John's Intro - Philosopher - Critical theorist "begins from the perspective of the world being unfree - and works from there - how do we build a world that is free?" - "Since a kid I've been very interested in justice - social justice for all beings" - Anti-nuclear weapons movement in college - Solidarity movement against US interventions in Central America - "When you become interested in claims of justice - it's a slippery slope - you broaden yourself out from there" - Reading Peter Singer's "Famine, affluence and morality" (Peter Singer Sentientism episode here) #utilitarianism "we should all give 90% of our income" - Singer's "Animal Liberation... turned me into a #vegetarian... got me on this path" - Growing up in Massachusetts - "Concerns oriented around liberation and justice" - Professional magician & mentalism 05:10 What's Real? - Brought up Unitarian - Father "pretty much an atheist". Mother "Jewish but mostly a secular Jew". "I kind of think they met in the middle." - "The pilgrims would have been horrified by the liberalism of the modern Unitarian church" - Celebrating Passover "the liberation of the Jews... a narrative about freedom... more general liberation" - "In the 70's people believed in psychic phenomena... ferment around supernaturalism... almost animism... maybe there are aliens... maybe the plants are listening to us" - "#UriGeller was a big inspiration to me at the time... I would spend hours in my room trying to move pennies with my mind" - "What I thought was real at the time turns out wasn't real :)" - Japanese American father "I grew up in a completely white town... I experienced a lot of racism... that experience was real. Ordinary events were shot through with the potential for harm or vulnerability... grounded me... an attentiveness towards suffering - my own suffering and the suffering of other people." - Charles Mills' "Blackness Visible" criticism of Descartes'... "Do I really exist" isn't a question black people are really asking. "They know they exist because they're getting beaten up - they're aware their body is real... it takes a certain privileged position to doubt your corporeal reality" 43:12 What and Who Matters? 01:00:55 A Better Future? 01:32:36 Follow John - johnsanbonmatsu.com - @SanbonmatsuJ ...and much more. Full show notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sentientism.info⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sentientism.info⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"I'm a Sentientist" wall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this simple form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here on FaceBook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Come join us there!

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John Sanbonmatsu is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, where he teaches ethics, political theory, and the philosophy of technology. He is author of the book, The Postmodern Prince: Critical Theory, Left Strategy, and the Making of a New Political Subject, editor of the book, Critical Theory and Animal Liberation, and is the creator and curator of the www.CleanMeat-Hoax.com website. His new book, The Omnivore's Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and the Nature of Moral Life, is expected to be released at the end of 2022. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/futurefoodshow/support

Dr. John Sanbonmatsu is editor of the book, Critical Theory and Animal Liberation and author of the book, The Postmodern Prince. He is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he teaches classes in ethics, social and political theory, and the philosophy of technology. John is the founder and main designer of https://www.cleanmeat-hoax.com ****************************** Thanks to Vox Vegana for the intro music. Plant Powered Radio broadcasts Tuesdays 11 am - noon PT at http://cfuv.ca Podcasts: PocketCasts, Breaker, Spotify, RadioPublic, Anchor, Overcast and Google Instagram - @plantpoweredradio Twitter - @envirovegan With gratitude for the opportunity to live, work, and create on the unceded traditional lands of the Coast Salish Peoples.

How exactly does gender work? It's not just about our chromosomes, says biologist Karissa Sanbonmatsu. In a visionary talk, she shares new discoveries from epigenetics, the emerging study of how DNA activity can permanently change based on social factors like trauma or diet. Learn how life experiences shape the way genes are expressed -- and what that means for our understanding of gender. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comment le genre fonctionne-t-il vraiment ? Il ne s'agit pas simplement de chromosomes, comme l'explique la biologiste Karissa Sabonmatsu. Dans cette conférence visionnaire, elle partage de nouvelles découvertes en épigénétique ; un domaine de recherche émergent qui étudie comment l'activité de l'ADN peut s'altérer de façon permanente à partir de facteurs sociaux comme un traumatisme ou un régime. Découvrez comment nos expériences ont une incidence sur la façon dont nos gènes s'expriment, et ce que cela signifie pour notre compréhension du genre.

Como funciona exatamente o gênero? Ele não tem a ver apenas com nossos cromossomos, afirma a bióloga Karissa Sanbonmatsu. Numa palestra visionária, ela compartilha as novas descobertas da epigenética, o estudo emergente de como a atividade do DNA pode mudar permanentemente com base em fatores sociais, como trauma ou dieta. Descubra como as experiências vividas moldam a forma como os genes são expressos -- e o que isso significa para o nosso entendimento do gênero.

How exactly does gender work? It's not just about our chromosomes, says biologist Karissa Sanbonmatsu. In a visionary talk, she shares new discoveries from epigenetics, the emerging study of how DNA activity can permanently change based on social factors like trauma or diet. Learn how life experiences shape the way genes are expressed -- and what that means for our understanding of gender.

¿En qué consiste el género exactamente? No es solo una cuestión de cromosomas, afirma la bióloga Karissa Sanbonmatsu. En una charla visionaria, comparte descubrimientos en epigenética, el emergente estudio sobre cómo la actividad del ADN puede cambiar permanentemente según factores sociales como los traumas o las dietas. Aprende cómo las experiencias de vida modelan la forma en la que se expresan los genes, y cómo eso influye en nuestro entendimiento del género.

성은 정확히 어떻게 작용하는 걸까요? 그건 단순히 염색체에 관한 문제가 아니라고, 생물학자 커리사 샌본마츠(Karissa Sanbonmatsu)는 말합니다. 본 강연을 통해, 정신적 외상이나 식습관과 같은 사회적 요인으로 인해 DNA 활동이 영구적으로 변할 수 있다는 후생유전학의 새로운 발견에 대해 들어 봅니다. 삶의 경험이 유전자에 미치는 영향과 성에 대한 우리들의 이해에 주는 의미를 알아 봅니다.

Interviewing one member of Congress is a feat for most researchers. Interviewing nearly 100 and almost every women member of Congress is remarkable. Even more remarkable is what we can learn from that data collection about the perceptions of women members of Congress, especially about the way they perceive recent partisan polarization and the changing role of gender, race, and ethnicity. Such is the exhaustive project of Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu, and Susan J. Carroll, who are the authors of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen's Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters (Oxford University Press, 2018). Dittmar is assistant professor of political science, Sanbonmatsu is professor of political science, and Carroll is professor of political science and gender studies, all at Rutgers University. If you want to know how members of Congress think and the ways that they view their work, you would be hard pressed to find a better book. Dittmar, Sanbonmatsu, and Carroll fill so many blanks in the study of the ways that women legislate and how they perceive that work. This book is a must read for scholars of women and politics, American politics, and representation.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interviewing one member of Congress is a feat for most researchers. Interviewing nearly 100 and almost every women member of Congress is remarkable. Even more remarkable is what we can learn from that data collection about the perceptions of women members of Congress, especially about the way they perceive recent partisan polarization and the changing role of gender, race, and ethnicity. Such is the exhaustive project of Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu, and Susan J. Carroll, who are the authors of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen's Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters (Oxford University Press, 2018). Dittmar is assistant professor of political science, Sanbonmatsu is professor of political science, and Carroll is professor of political science and gender studies, all at Rutgers University. If you want to know how members of Congress think and the ways that they view their work, you would be hard pressed to find a better book. Dittmar, Sanbonmatsu, and Carroll fill so many blanks in the study of the ways that women legislate and how they perceive that work. This book is a must read for scholars of women and politics, American politics, and representation.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interviewing one member of Congress is a feat for most researchers. Interviewing nearly 100 and almost every women member of Congress is remarkable. Even more remarkable is what we can learn from that data collection about the perceptions of women members of Congress, especially about the way they perceive recent... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interviewing one member of Congress is a feat for most researchers. Interviewing nearly 100 and almost every women member of Congress is remarkable. Even more remarkable is what we can learn from that data collection about the perceptions of women members of Congress, especially about the way they perceive recent partisan polarization and the changing role of gender, race, and ethnicity. Such is the exhaustive project of Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu, and Susan J. Carroll, who are the authors of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen’s Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters (Oxford University Press, 2018). Dittmar is assistant professor of political science, Sanbonmatsu is professor of political science, and Carroll is professor of political science and gender studies, all at Rutgers University. If you want to know how members of Congress think and the ways that they view their work, you would be hard pressed to find a better book. Dittmar, Sanbonmatsu, and Carroll fill so many blanks in the study of the ways that women legislate and how they perceive that work. This book is a must read for scholars of women and politics, American politics, and representation.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interviewing one member of Congress is a feat for most researchers. Interviewing nearly 100 and almost every women member of Congress is remarkable. Even more remarkable is what we can learn from that data collection about the perceptions of women members of Congress, especially about the way they perceive recent partisan polarization and the changing role of gender, race, and ethnicity. Such is the exhaustive project of Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu, and Susan J. Carroll, who are the authors of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen’s Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters (Oxford University Press, 2018). Dittmar is assistant professor of political science, Sanbonmatsu is professor of political science, and Carroll is professor of political science and gender studies, all at Rutgers University. If you want to know how members of Congress think and the ways that they view their work, you would be hard pressed to find a better book. Dittmar, Sanbonmatsu, and Carroll fill so many blanks in the study of the ways that women legislate and how they perceive that work. This book is a must read for scholars of women and politics, American politics, and representation.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interviewing one member of Congress is a feat for most researchers. Interviewing nearly 100 and almost every women member of Congress is remarkable. Even more remarkable is what we can learn from that data collection about the perceptions of women members of Congress, especially about the way they perceive recent partisan polarization and the changing role of gender, race, and ethnicity. Such is the exhaustive project of Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu, and Susan J. Carroll, who are the authors of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen’s Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters (Oxford University Press, 2018). Dittmar is assistant professor of political science, Sanbonmatsu is professor of political science, and Carroll is professor of political science and gender studies, all at Rutgers University. If you want to know how members of Congress think and the ways that they view their work, you would be hard pressed to find a better book. Dittmar, Sanbonmatsu, and Carroll fill so many blanks in the study of the ways that women legislate and how they perceive that work. This book is a must read for scholars of women and politics, American politics, and representation.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interviewing one member of Congress is a feat for most researchers. Interviewing nearly 100 and almost every women member of Congress is remarkable. Even more remarkable is what we can learn from that data collection about the perceptions of women members of Congress, especially about the way they perceive recent partisan polarization and the changing role of gender, race, and ethnicity. Such is the exhaustive project of Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu, and Susan J. Carroll, who are the authors of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen’s Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters (Oxford University Press, 2018). Dittmar is assistant professor of political science, Sanbonmatsu is professor of political science, and Carroll is professor of political science and gender studies, all at Rutgers University. If you want to know how members of Congress think and the ways that they view their work, you would be hard pressed to find a better book. Dittmar, Sanbonmatsu, and Carroll fill so many blanks in the study of the ways that women legislate and how they perceive that work. This book is a must read for scholars of women and politics, American politics, and representation.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interviewing one member of Congress is a feat for most researchers. Interviewing nearly 100 and almost every women member of Congress is remarkable. Even more remarkable is what we can learn from that data collection about the perceptions of women members of Congress, especially about the way they perceive recent partisan polarization and the changing role of gender, race, and ethnicity. Such is the exhaustive project of Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu, and Susan J. Carroll, who are the authors of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen's Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters (Oxford University Press, 2018). Dittmar is assistant professor of political science, Sanbonmatsu is professor of political science, and Carroll is professor of political science and gender studies, all at Rutgers University. If you want to know how members of Congress think and the ways that they view their work, you would be hard pressed to find a better book. Dittmar, Sanbonmatsu, and Carroll fill so many blanks in the study of the ways that women legislate and how they perceive that work. This book is a must read for scholars of women and politics, American politics, and representation.  

Interviewing one member of Congress is a feat for most researchers. Interviewing nearly 100 and almost every women member of Congress is remarkable. Even more remarkable is what we can learn from that data collection about the perceptions of women members of Congress, especially about the way they perceive recent partisan polarization and the changing role of gender, race, and ethnicity. Such is the exhaustive project of Kelly Dittmar, Kira Sanbonmatsu, and Susan J. Carroll, who are the authors of A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen’s Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters (Oxford University Press, 2018). Dittmar is assistant professor of political science, Sanbonmatsu is professor of political science, and Carroll is professor of political science and gender studies, all at Rutgers University. If you want to know how members of Congress think and the ways that they view their work, you would be hard pressed to find a better book. Dittmar, Sanbonmatsu, and Carroll fill so many blanks in the study of the ways that women legislate and how they perceive that work. This book is a must read for scholars of women and politics, American politics, and representation.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are only two black women in the nation who hold statewide elective executive offices, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Spectrum wants to know why. Although there are numerous women of color elected to state and federal legislative offices, the numbers don’t translate to statewide executive offices, according to Dr. Kira Sanbonmatsu, senior scholar at the Center for American for American Women in Politics. She points to several reasons for this paucity of statewide public officeholders of color. First, she says legislative districts are usually more minority based than statewide populations – therefore, making it easier to win in a select district. Secondly, she notes that black women may have fewer campaign resources available than white women and men, thereby limiting spending amounts in campaigns. Also, the majority of black women candidates are Democrats, according to Sanbonmatsu, and Republicans recently have been making greater strides in controlling statehouses. Finally, she said there are often racial and gender stereotypes working against black female candidates among the electorate. Spectrum also talked with two African-American women politicians in the swing-state of Ohio to get their perspectives: former State Senator Nina Turner who ran unsuccessfully for Sec. of State in 2014 and Judge Gayle Williams-Byers, an elected judge in Ohio from a diverse district. Both found it unacceptable that in 2016 there have been no black women governors and such a small number of statewide officeholders across the nation. This is especially true, they say, since African-American women and other women of color constitute the largest voting constituency in the country. “We get everyone else elected but ourselves,” said Sen. Tuner. Both Judge Williams-Byers and Sen. Turner confirmed that it has been difficult for black women candidates to raise the kind of money that is needed to be successful in winning a statewide office. They don’t get the same amount of money as white candidates. They also agreed that they face a “double whammy” of being black and being women when running statewide. However, they spoke of more difficulty confronting racial issues than gender bias. Often, negative stereotypes are used against African American women as being ineffective and just plain angry. Passion for equality and fairness is often mischaracterized as being just an “angry black woman,” says Sen. Turner. When asked what it will take to change the current status of so few black women in statewide offices, both agreed: 1) Consciousness of the problem of under-representation, 2) commitments from individuals and party leaders to getting black women elected, and 3) consequences for failing to grabble with this overarching problem.

Sanbonmatsu discusses her new book (coauthored with Susan J. Carroll), titled “More Women Can Run: Gender and Pathways to the State Legislatures,” (Oxford University Press, 2013). Analyzing nationwide surveys of state legislators conducted by the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), the book advances a new approach for understanding women’s election to office, challenging assumptions of a single model of candidate emergence and the necessity for women to assimilate to men’s pathways to office. For example, Sanbonmatsu asserts that a model of candidate emergence based on relationships and networks better captures women’s decision-making than an ambition framework in which candidacy is self-initiated. More women can run if more efforts are made to recruit women of varying backgrounds. This research also examines party differences and the reasons that Democratic women are outpacing Republican women. Speaker: Kira Sanbonmatsu, Professor, Department of Political Science, Rutgers University