National Scholar to Speak on Women of Color in Politics

The Woodbury Cottage Grove Area League of Women Voters and the Woodbury Community Foundation are proud to co-sponsor a free webinar featuring a national African American academic, author and legal scholar, Dr. Duchess Harris as keynote speaker. Dr. Harris is a professor of American Studies at Macalester College and one of six national scholars on the Kamala Harris Project inaugural Advisory Board. Her focus is 20th century African American political history and civil rights. Dr. Harris will speak on “Black Women and Suffrage: From Ida B. Wells to Kamala Harris.” This webinar is open to both members and the public at no cost, and will be held virtually:

Tues. May 18, 2021
6:30-7:30 pm
Zoom Webinar
Costs: FREE. (Donations welcomed)
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-women-and-suffrage-with-dr-duchess-harris-lwv-wcga-annual-meeting-registration-150339546631

With the League of Women Voters commitment to Empower Voters and Defend Democracy, we commit to equity for all voters and the recognition that democracy is strengthened by the inclusion of all the diverse voices within the community and in government. The Woodbury Community Foundation Anti-Racism Initiative wants well-being for all, so this can be the best place to live, work and play for
everyone in the community.

Professor Harris was a Mellon Mays Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated in 1991 with a degree in American History. Six years later, she earned a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota. She did postdoctoral fellowships at the Institute on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota Law School and at the Womanist Studies Consortium at the University of
Georgia. In 1998, Harris joined the faculty at Macalester College. She became the first Chair of the American Studies Department in 2003 and was granted tenure in 2004. In 2008, she was the only law student in the country chosen to be an Associate Editor for Litigation News, the American Bar Association Section’s quarterly flagship publication.  In 2009, she won a $96,000 fellowship from the Bush Leadership Program, which encourages their recipients to create positive change in their communities. In 2010, she became the first Editor-in-Chief of Law Raza Journal, an interactive on-line race and the law journal. She earned a Juris Doctorate in January 2011 and has an expertise in Civil Rights Law. In 2015, The Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers chose her to receive “The Profiles in Courage Award.” She is an author of numerous books including, “Black Feminist Politics from Kennedy to Clinton,” and co-editor with Bruce D. Baum of “Racially Writing the Republic: Racists, Race Rebels, and Transformations of American Identity.” She is also the proud curator of the Duchess Harris Collection, which has more than 40 books written for 3-12 graders.

In February 2021, Professor Harris was named to the national advisory board for The Kamala Harris Project. a nonpartisan, nonprofit group of scholars to follow Kamala Harris tenure as the nation’s first woman of color to serve as Vice President. “When I realized that I was one of six women chosen for the advisory board, I was honored to have the privilege of joining a conversation with the most esteemed scholars on women of color in politics,” said Professor Harris. 

To register for our LWV WCGA Zoom webinar free event, please RSVP at Eventbrite. Each attendee is required to have a ticket. Tickets will be sent to the email that is entered during registration. For more information visit our website at: www.lwvwcg.org

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About LWV WCGA: Woodbury Cottage Grove Area League of Women Voters encourages informed and active participation in government at nonpartisan candidate forums, runs nonpartisan voter registration drives and advocates ion a limited number of issues. The candidates’ forums give citizens the opportunity to learn about local candidates. LWV WCGA has organized and sponsored over one hundred candidates’ forums throughout its 50-year history. For more information visit: www.lwvwcg.org

About Woodbury Community Foundation: The Woodbury Community Foundation is a local philanthropic non-profit organization acting on behalf of the community to meet the needs of our Woodbury residents. For more information visit: woodburyfoundation.org