The Harvard Radcliffe Institute presents
Gender and Politics: Navigating Power and Perception
Gender and Politics: Navigating Power and Perception
Thursday and Friday, April 25–26
Knafel Center (10 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138)
OR Online via Zoom
This event is free. All are welcome to attend. To register, visit https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2024-gender-and-politics-conference.
As we approach the 2024 presidential election in the United States and other elections across the globe, issues of gender, power, perception, and representation are integral components of the political landscape. At this critical juncture, we will gather current and former office holders, activists, scholars, and journalists to explore the intersection of gender and politics in the current moment and in comparative perspective.
The conference will start on Thursday, April 25, with a keynote discussion between Massachusetts governor Maura T. Healey and California senator Laphonza Butler. Laphonza Butler is a lifelong advocate for women and working people and has been engaged with politics for decades. Appointed to the United States Senate in 2023, she is the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the Senate and the first Black lesbian to openly serve in Congress. Maura T. Healey is the 73rd governor of Massachusetts and the first woman and first LGBTQ+ person to be elected to the position. Governor Healey previously served two terms as Massachusetts Attorney General. She is a graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges and Northeastern University School of Law.
On Friday, April 26, join us for a series of multidisciplinary sessions that will examine the relationship between gender and elected office or other forms of political involvement; who gets heard in the political sphere; and the role of the media in gendered narratives. Conversations will spotlight local, state, national, and international experiences to explore societal and systemic barriers that inhibit political involvement by traditionally underrepresented gender groups or affect the voices of those who have successfully attained office.
This conference is cosponsored by the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School.
Featured Speakers/Moderators
Sara Bleich, vice provost for special projects, Harvard University; faculty director of the social sciences program and Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; and professor of public health policy, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Iris Bohnet, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government and codirector of the Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School
Tomiko Brown-Nagin, dean, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School; and professor of history, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Erica Chenoweth, Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor, Harvard Radcliffe Institute; academic dean for faculty engagement and Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment, Harvard Kennedy School; and faculty dean of Pforzheimer House, Harvard College
Dallas Ducar, chief executive officer, Transhealth
Vanessa Friedman, chief fashion critic, New York Times
Sara Guillermo, chief executive officer, IGNITE
Magda Hinojosa, dean of social sciences, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University
Jennifer Lawless, Leone Reaves and George W. Spicer Professor of Politics and professor of public policy, University of Virginia
Ruthzee Louijeune, president, Boston City Council and Boston City Councilor At-Large
Grisella M. Martinez, resident fellow, Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School
Tram T. Nguyen, Massachusetts State Representative (D), 18th Essex District
Karyn Polito, former lieutenant governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; principal, Polito Development Corporation; and former member of the Massachusetts House of Representative, 11th Worcester District
Tara Setmayer (I, former R), senior advisor, The Lincoln Project; resident scholar, UVA Center for Politics 2023–2024; former CNN political commentator, contributor to ABC News, and GOP communications director on Capitol Hill
Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto, former mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Rochelle P. Walensky, former director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention