美国国家公共电台 NPR--What barriers do Black women face in seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate?

What barriers do Black women face in seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate?

Transcript¹

There have only ever been two Black women in the U.S. Senate. That could change if Dianne Feinstein steps down. A look at why Black women face so many barriers to this particular office.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

In the history of the United States, only two Black women have ever served as senators. There's a chance that could change in 2024. California Senator Dianne Feinstein will not seek another term, and Barbara Lee is among the candidates to replace her. In many past cases, Black women were defeated. From KQED in San Francisco, Scott Shafer reports.

SCOTT SHAFER, BYLINE³: In November of 2016, California Attorney General Kamala Harris made history as the first woman of color to win a U.S. Senate seat from the Golden State.

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KAMALA HARRIS: I am so proud to represent this beautiful, diverse state.

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MARY HUGHES: As an African American woman who is also South Asian, she was representative of the Bay Area and California and the kind of pride we have in the mix of people that make our state innovative⁴ and strong. And that was certainly an advantage.

SHAFER: Political consultant⁵ Mary Hughes has spent decades helping⁶ women win political office. She says Harris had unique qualities that helped her win the Senate seat, including a solid network of Bay Area women elected officials who helped open doors to deep-pocketed donors⁷.

HUGHES: So there was an existing network that could lift Kamala up and make introductions not only in California, but across the country.

SHAFER: Harris is one of just two Black women ever elected to the Senate. Last year in North Carolina, Cheri Beasley tried and failed to become the third. The former North Carolina Supreme⁸ Court chief justice has won four other elections for statewide offices, but...

CHERI BEASLEY: The perception is always that the U.S. senator is a white man. That is the presumption⁹, and then we work from there.

SHAFER: Her opponent was conservative Republican Ted² Budd, who ran brutal¹⁰ TV ads tying her to a released child rapist.

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Cheri Beasley struck down a bipartisan law requiring GPS tracking for child predators¹¹. A monster who raped¹² a seven...

BEASLEY: They were offensive. They were not true and hugely deceptive¹³.

SHAFER: Beasley narrowly lost, and some supporters complained she could have won if the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee had used more funds to help her. Aimee Allison, whose group, She The People, works to elect women of color, sees the North Carolina Senate race as part of a pattern.

AIMEE ALLISON: There is a lack of investment in Black women leadership and the buzz around Black women's leadership.

SHAFER: Allison says Black women in particular face unfair doubts about their ability to raise money, making it harder to attract the best campaign team. That doubt can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

ALLISON: I've seen time and time again Black women be dismissed or overlooked, not be taken seriously.

SHAFER: She sees the same pattern playing out now as Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee is vying¹⁵ against two better-known white candidates, Representatives Adam Schiff and Katie Porter. Lee, a veteran progressive voice in Congress, says she knows the structural¹⁶ barriers Black women have, like access to large donors. She says their fundraising strategy takes all that into account.

BARBARA LEE: So we have to have that added push and rely on low donors, people who can contribute 5, $10 a month, recurring¹⁷, and we'll be able to do that.

SHAFER: Laphonza Butler, who worked on Kamala Harris' 2020 failed presidential run now heads up EMILY's List, which helps women candidates raise money. She says there is an extra barrier that Black women are having to make their way through, much of it driven by systemic biases¹⁸.

LAPHONZA BUTLER: It's not new. It's not right. And I think that there is a generation of Black women leaders across this country who are going to do everything required to make sure that it no longer continues.

SHAFER: In California, 89-year-old Senator Dianne Feinstein, hobbled by a nasty bout¹⁴ of shingles¹⁹, is facing calls for her to resign before her term ends a year and a half from now. If the seat opens up, Governor Gavin Newsom has promised to name a Black woman to fill it. Now that it looks possible that vacancy²⁰ could occur, Newsom isn't talking much about the promise he made two years ago, saying he wishes Feinstein a full recovery.

For NPR News, I'm Scott Shafer in San Francisco.

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1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

5 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 presumption   

n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定

参考例句：

• Please pardon my presumption in writing to you.请原谅我很冒昧地写信给你。
• I don't think that's a false presumption.我认为那并不是错误的推测。

10 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

11 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

13 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

14 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

15 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。

16 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

17 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

18 biases   

偏见( bias的名词复数 )； 偏爱； 特殊能力； 斜纹

参考例句：

• Stereotypes represent designer or researcher biases and assumptions, rather than factual data. 它代表设计师或者研究者的偏见和假设，而不是实际的数据。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• The net effect of biases on international comparisons is easily summarized. 偏差对国际比较的基本影响容易概括。

19 shingles   

n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板

参考例句：

• Shingles are often dipped in creosote. 屋顶板常浸涂木焦油。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The roofs had shingles missing. 一些屋顶板不见了。 来自辞典例句

20 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。