S1E94 - Aimee Allison Foresees a Bright Future for an America Full of Women of Color in Power
Aimee Allison, Founder of She the People, joined us to talk about the Kamala Harris presidential nomination and the increased and increasing role of women of color in U.S. key positions of political power. We spoke of political organizer, Georgia's Stacey Abrams, as well as the defeat of squad members Cori Bush in a Missouri primary and Jamaal Bowman in Queens, and the significant role of AIPAC in both losses. We discussed Trump's response to Black journalists which Allison described as "deeply racist" and, she added, it "made him look like an idiot." We focused on voting in Georgia and also in Rwanda, where 60% of women make up government representation as well as discussing how patriarchy is baked into the American political system. Allison posited that America's time to shift from patriarchy has come –women leaders of color, like Kamala Harris, are here and are ready to assume and hold positions of power. She praised the choice by Vice President Harris of Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate and took the position that many of the negative characterizations of Vice President Harris have emerged from racist tropes and misogyny. She then addressed ways to make Black girls our next leaders and spoke of Shirley Chisholm's extraordinary influence on her and other young women of color and her experiences as a young woman in the military who eventually applied for conscientious objector status. We then took up the question of breaking chains and making things better for generations to come. Emphasizing the necessity of remembering a powerful tradition, Allison said, "Remember Sojourner Truth and the godmothers who came before us and opened up spaces with love." She concluded by speaking of the need for humane immigration reform, which she hoped would emerge under Kamala Harris's leadership and a new political era which she believes November's election in the U.S. can bring.
Biography
Aimee Allison is the founder and president of She the People, a national organization that elevates the voice and power of women of color as leaders of a new political and cultural era. She made political history in 2019 when she organized and moderated the nation’s first presidential forum for women of color which led to to widespread recognition of the issues and strength of this voting block. For the past 5 years, has been a leading advocate for women of color on the presidential ticket, on the Supreme Court, and in Congress. Allison’s expert political insight and power building efforts have been featured across national and international media outlets from Politico to the New York Times and PBS to MSNBC. Allison holds a B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University.
www.instagram.com/aimee_allison
www.facebook.com/realaimeeallison
Conversation recorded on August 9, 2024.