UMass Lowell Rhetoric Expert Urges VP Kamala Harris To Take Gender Seriously in Run for President
08/06/2024
Media Contacts: Emily Gowdey-Backus and Nancy Cicco
Rather than rally support for her campaign using light-hearted, pop-style social media content, Vice President Kamala Harris would benefit from approaching gendered leadership in a serious, strategic manner, according to UMass Lowell Associate Professor Rebecca Richards.
“Instead of relying on the entertaining and innocuous rhetoric of pop feminism and white liberal feminism, like former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and her supporters did in 2016, if Harris and her supporters want to enact meaningful leadership in the Oval Office, they have to engage the challenging conversations and actions surrounding racial and gender inequities,” said Richards, author of "Transnational Feminist Rhetorics and Gendered Leadership in Global Politics: From Daughters of Destiny to Iron Ladies."
Roughly 100 days out from the election, Harris not only has a large task ahead of her amassing support from the Democratic Party, she must also craft a leadership identity in a polarized nation, said Richards. “Harris’ campaign must openly contend with disagreements inherent within—and resistance to—feminism, racial justice, and cultural diversity,” she said.
With a focus on rhetoric and writing, gender and sexuality, and media, Richards is a member of the UMass Lowell English department. In addition to her 2015 book "Transnational," she is also the author of "Not Playing Around: Feminist and Queer Rhetorics in Videogames." Published this year, her second book examines how videogames function rhetorically resulting in material, affective, and embodied consequences.
To arrange an interview with Richards, contact Emily Gowdey-Backus or Nancy Cicco.