Discourse Analysis on Black Women Mayors and Their Use of Experiential Rhetoric

• In Event: Toward Pluralism in REP/Elections Research: Black Women in Electoral Politics

Abstract

The Only Candidate Who Lived: A Discourse Analysis on Black Women Mayors and Their Use of Experiential Rhetoric

The stereotypical assumptions of minority candidates only serving those who relate closest to their identity result in heavy scrutiny of women's language and Black candidates'. We see this threat present amongst women when they decide not to emphasize women's issues on the campaign trail (Carroll, 1979 p. 27) or when Black men, like Obama, tend to avoid speaking about race (Terrill, 2015). When using race-gendered language on the campaign trail, it is clear that there are risks to consider, as skepticism of racial and gendered language is rooted in the assumption that a minority candidate may be "too narrow" in their concerns and won't represent all people adequately. At a Mayoral Forum in October of 2017, Keisha Lance Bottoms walked a fine line by not using explicit race-gendered language, but eluding to it when she said, "Atlanta is a tale of two cities, and I am the only candidate for Mayor who has lived and worked in both these places." In the same forum, a question on crime and policing provoked Lance Bottoms to be explicit about race and gendered relations. She mentioned her father's incarceration and her concern as a "mother of four, three of which are African American boys." This discourse analysis looks at speeches on the campaign trail between Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mary Norwood of Atlanta and Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle of Chicago to understand the extent to which Black women Mayors describe their policy activism as rooted in their lived experiences. These findings suggest that Black women Mayors are strategic actors that do not hesitate to use race and gendered language when certain issue areas are ascendant.

Author

• Andrene Wright, Northwestern University