Today Women & Politics is hosting a double feature! The top of the hour brings us two of our Democratic candidates for Governor: Jennifer McClellan and Jennifer Carroll Foy. We split the time asking some final quick questions for voters to consider.
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics- Political Impact on Rural Communities
Welcome to the New Year of Women and Community Politics. We are starting out with uplifting the voices of rural Virginia. Joining us today are:
Finale Johnson Norton
Finale Johnson Norton was born and raised in Exmore, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. She will be a tireless advocate for working families in the General Assembly because her own family had to work hard to make ends meet. Her mom cleaned homes before earning her cosmetology license later in life, and her father shucked clams and laid ground cable. In the hard times that followed her father’s death in a truck accident when Finale was in eighth grade, Social Security helped her family get through. Through high school, Finale worked various jobs before and after school to make ends meet. Thanks to Virginia public schools, Finale had a chance to further her education. After graduating from Northampton High School, she attended Hampton University and earned her Bachelor of Science degree.
For the next 20 years as a Navy wife and businesswoman, she resided in Norfolk, remaining close to her family members in Norfolk and on the Eastern Shore. Finale began working at Bank of America (FKA) Sovran Bank in 1988. Always advocating for inclusion and equity, she served on Bank of America’s Diversity Council and was an executive sponsor for the company’s Lead for Women initiative and LGBTQ initiative. During her 26-year tenure at Bank of America, Finale worked her way up to becoming an executive responsible for more than 3,500 employees. She then worked at a global consulting company before retiring from corporate America. She has since moved back home to the Eastern Shore to be closer to her family.
Over the years, Finale has given back to the community through United Way campaigns, a Junior Achievement mentorship, Habitat for Humanity builds, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, March of Dimes fundraising, and the Urban League
Lynlee Thorne
Lynlee Thorne lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley on a small farm with her 2 young children and a menagerie of livestock. She has served as Chair of her local Democratic committee and as campaign staff for multiple local and statewide campaigns over that last 5 years, including multiple statewide coordinated campaigns and local races. Both farming and being a rural Democrat require a long-term commitment to hard work, perseverance, and cultivation of resilient communities, which Lynlee brings to her work with Rural GroundGame.
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Carol Olson Women & Politics January 6th, 2022
Posted In: Local, Music Shows, News
Tags: carololson, finalenorton, LynleeThorne, ruralgroundgame, SheriShannon, womenand politics
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics: The Candidate Series – Delegate Delores McQuinn and Delegate Hala Ayala
It’s election season folks and we are bringing you the local candidates and sprinkling in some current politicians serving the communities. Check out our lineup today:
Delegate Delores McQuinn was born in eastern Henrico County and has spent her entire life in the greater Richmond area. Her civic interest and involvement in politics began at the age of 11, when she campaigned for a candidate’s successful election to Richmond City Council.
Over the years, she continued to actively support public service initiatives, and she became a community advocate. In 1992, Delegate McQuinn was elected to the Richmond City School Board, where she provided leadership and positive vision for the school district as Vice-Chair. Some of her initiatives included the re-opening of the East End Middle School (currently, Franklin Military School) and the implementation of an annual Back-To-School rally for students. Her efforts helped to improve students’ self-esteem and strengthen their academic achievement. Continuing to expand her civic engagement and commitment to making our communities a better place to live, work, and play, Delegate McQuinn next served on the Richmond City Council, 7th District. During her tenure, the District was transformed with renovations, new development, and emerging businesses.
In 2009, Delegate McQuinn was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates to represent the 70th District, which includes parts of the City of Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield Counties, along with Charles City County. In addition to her many other legislative and civic commitments, Delegate McQuinn is an eloquent orator who spends much of her time uplifting others through her work as an Associate Minister at New Bridge Baptist Church.
A Lifelong Virginian, Delegate Hala Ayala was elected to the House of Delegates in 2017 and currently represents the 51st district which covers parts of Prince William County. Hala is the daughter of a Salvadorian and North African immigrant father and an Irish and Lebanese mother. She has worked as a cyber security specialist for over 20 years with the Department of Homeland Security to protect our nation’s information systems. Hala has also been a women’s rights activist for over a decade. She was the president of Prince William County National Organization for Women, appointed by Terry McAuliffe to serve on the Women’s Advisory Council, and in 2017, she helped organize Virginia’s attendance at the first Women’s March in Washington. As a Delegate, Hala has worked to pass some of Virginia’s most important pieces of legislation like expanding Medicaid for 400,000 Virginians, raising teacher pay, passing the Equal Rights Amendment and helping small businesses recover from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Hala is running for Lieutenant Governor because she understands our Commonwealth, its history, its challenges, its many opportunities and wants to ensure every Virginian has the opportunity to succeed.
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Carol Olson Women & Politics October 14th, 2021
Posted In: Local, Music, Music Shows, News
Tags: carololson, DeloresMcQuinn, HalaAyala, SheriShannon, womenandpolitics, womenlead
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics: The Politics of Race and Space
We have two great guests today on Women & Politics talking about race, space, and the whiteness of disability.
Ebony Walden is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Ebony Walden Consulting (EWC), an urban strategy firm based in Richmond, Virginia. At EWC, she works with a wide range of organizations to design and facilitate meetings, training, strategic plans and community engagement processes that explore race, equity and the creation of more just and inclusive communities. Before founding EWC, Ebony worked in local government and for non-profit organizations dedicated to citywide and neighborhood level revitalization. Currently, Ebony is an adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University where she teaches Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the City. Ebony’s work has been featured in The Hill, Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Nature of Cities. She holds a Masters in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia and a Bachelors in Business Administration from Georgetown University. Inspired by The Just City Essays, Ebony Walden conceived the idea of an essay collection focused on Richmond (The Richmond Racial Equity Essays) in hopes of bringing together thought leadership and practice to advance racial equity in the region.
Dr. Jennifer Erkulwater is Chair of the Political Science Department and Professor of Political Science at the University of Richmond. Her areas of expertise are in Social Welfare Politics, Public Policy and American Politics. Her scholarship focuses on and public policy and the social activism around poverty, disability, and race. Dr. Erkulwater has published numerous articles and two books on the politics of social welfare programs in the US. She was elected to the National Academy of Social Insurance for her work on Supplemental Security Income. Her current research seeks to understand why disability politics is so white – that is, why people of color are missing from disability politics and what the implications of that absence are for how social justice is enacted. You can find her on twitter at @jerkulwater @URPoliSci_Dept
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Carol Olson Women & Politics September 16th, 2021
Posted In: Music, Music Shows, News
Tags: carololson, EbonyWalden, intersectionality, JenniferErkulwater, race, SheriShannon, virginiapolitics, womenlead, womenpoliticsva
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics: Women Leadership
Today Sheri and Carol talk with three incredible women leaders on women develop leadership, the meaning of servant leadership, and how mentorship is critical to bringing women to the forefront. Our guests in the first half hour are: Myra Goodman-Smith and Linda Tissiere. The second half of the show brings us Chloe Edwards, multi-talented activist and advocate, winner of several awards including this years Outstanding Woman Award.
Myra Goodman Smith is the President and CEO of Leadership Metro Richmond (LMR), our region’s community leadership development and engagement organization. Over 40 years, LMR has connected diverse community leaders, preparing them serve with impact. Myra has a diverse range of management and leadership experience, serving more than 30 years in the nonprofit sector. She has created and led governance workshops and training programs for nonprofit leaders and boards of directors. Myra has been engaged in our communities throughout her life, serving on various commissions, boards, and councils. Today, she serves as Board Chair of the Jenkins Foundation, a health legacy foundation. Myra has recently received awards and recognition from the YWCA, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Richmond Magazine for her leadership in our region. Myra holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and Planning and a Master’s in Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond Class of 2006
You can find her at Leadership Metro Richmond http://www.lmrconnect.org
Linda Tissiere became CEO of YWCA Richmond in July, 2012. As CEO, she leads the strategic direction of the organization with a special emphasis on fund development, community engagement, advocacy and organizational effectiveness. YWCA Richmond is one of the region’s oldest nonprofits at the forefront of creating positive social change through the elimination of racism and the empowerment of women. The vision of the YWCA is to transform individual lives and our community by creating access to opportunities, strengthening resilience, and advancing equitable systems for lifelong success.
Prior to joining the YWCA, Linda was Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement & Integrated Communications at Luck Companies (formerly Luck Stone Corporation), where she worked for ten years. At Luck, she was responsible for the execution of reputation management strategies, as well as leading executive engagement initiatives, strategic communications, public relations, government relations, and social responsibility.
Linda moved to Virginia in 2002 from upstate New York where she lived for eight years, and before that she resided in Providence, Rhode Island. Her extensive professional career spans a variety of disciplines including journalism, public relations, philanthropy and corporate communications for financial, manufacturing, higher education and health care organizations. She was also a Middle School Spanish teacher and coach for girls’ basketball and softball.
Linda has a strong passion for the empowerment of women and children and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Smart Beginnings of Richmond and the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is a former Board member of the Children’s Museum of Richmond and the Henrico Education Foundation. Linda is also a member of the 2016 class of Leadership Metro Richmond and was honored as one of Richmond Magazine’s Bold Women of 2021. She has a M.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University and a B.A. in Spanish from Indiana University. She is married and has three adult children. In her spare time, she enjoys golf, travel and spending time with her family. You can find her at the YWCA of Richmond at http://ywcarichmond.org
Chlo
e Edwards is the Advocacy & Engagement Manager at Voices for Virginia’s Children. She serves as a liaison between partners, advocates, and Voices policy team. She specializes in cross-disciplinary issues, such as trauma-informed care and equity. In August 2020, Edwards launched Virginia’s first Racial Truth & Reconciliation Week, which was recognized by Governor Ralph Northam and is now Racial Truth & Reconciliation Virginia, an evolvement of the Campaign for a Trauma-Informed Virginia.
Through the Campaign, Edwards provides technical assistance to connect local-level trends to policy opportunities. She provides advocacy support & trainings to center the experiences of advocates with lived experience and professionals working within systems to mobilize change at the local and state-level. Edwards has experience advocating at the local, state, and national level. Currently, she serves as the President of Black Lives Matter 804 and Assistant Director & Digital Organizer for the Truth Telling Project. Chloe completed the Minority Research and Law Institute Program at Southern University in 2013 and the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Emerging Leaders program in 2019. She holds a Bachelor’s in English from Hollins University and Master’s of Public Policy in Leadership from Liberty University.
You can find her at Virginia Voices for Children: https://vakids.org/
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Carol Olson Women & Politics September 2nd, 2021
Tags: chloeedwards, lindatissiere, myragoodmansmith, SheriShannon, womenlead, womenpoliticsva
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics with Princess Blanding
Princess Blanding, candidate for Virginia Governor under the Liberation party joins host Sheri Shannon to talk about establishing a new party, rank choice voting, the marginalization of Black Women in elected offices, and her plans to govern Virginia.
You can follow her campaign at www.princessblanding.com
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Carol Olson Women & Politics July 22nd, 2021
Posted In: Music, Music Shows, News
Tags: blackwomenlead, carololson, PrincessBlanding, SheriShannon, womenandpolitics
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics with Senator Jennifer McClellan and Delegate Sally Hudson
Senator Jennifer McClellan and Delegate Sally Hudson join Carol and Sheri today to talk about the new laws passed, specifically the abortion access bill, a tangent on gerrymandering and it’s impact not just on voting but on community health, and how to get involved in local politics to ensure your voice is heard.
Find them on their websites at: Jennifer McClellan and Sally Hudson – Sally for Virginia
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Follow our show on our social media on twitter, facebook, and our blog – look for womenpoliticsva
Carol Olson Women & Politics July 1st, 2021
Posted In: Music, Music Shows
Tags: #womenleaders, carololson, JenniferMcClellan, SallyHudson, SheriShannon, womenandpolitics
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics with Andrea Miller on Voting Rights
Today Andrea Miller of the Center for Common Ground joins us to talk voting rights and how she has worked to ensure Virginians have access to their right to vote.
Andrea Miller is Founding Board Member of Center for Common Ground; Founder/ former Executive Director of People Demanding Action; Founding President, National Women’s Political
Caucus of Virginia; Founding Tri-Chair Virginia Poor People’s Campaign; and a member of the Democracy and Governance working group of the Virginia Green New Deal. Andrea is an IT and Political Director, a digital and elections strategist. She designs and administers digital phonebanks and texting programs. From 2013 to 2015 she led the Progressive Round Table on Capitol Hill bringing together members of Congress, activists and non-profit leaders. Her expertise is in voting rights, climate and the Equal Rights Amendment. She has successfully advocated for legislation on both the Federal and State level. In 2008 she was the Democratic nominee for the Virginia 4th Congressional district.
She also talks about the upcoming Democracy Center being developed in Richmond, learn more here
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Carol Olson Women & Politics June 24th, 2021
Posted In: Local, Music, Music Shows, News
Tags: andreamiller, carololson, centerforcommonground, democracy, SheriShannon
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics – Sheri Shannon and Atima Omara break down the Virginia Governors race
Atima Omara returns to talk women and politics with Sheri Shannon. Atima is the President & Chief Strategist of Omara Strategy Group which provides strategic consulting to candidates and organizations centering women and people of color in their work. She works on ensuring clients create winning political campaigns and build stronger advocacy organizations
Atima Omara is working towards a more reflective and representative democracy through progressive political strategy, leadership, and grassroots advocacy. Named to Ebony Magazine’s “Power 100” and Jet Magazine’s “40 Under 40” lists. An engaging speaker, Atima has provided political commentary on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and regularly presents at conferences. She’s written for the American Prospect, Politico, Ebony, The Lily, and has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, TIME, among others.
Since 2003, Atima has worked for a Virginia Governor, multiple Democratic candidates, labor, progressive organizations, and trained activists and candidates across the country. She is an expert in electoral campaigns, especially turning out hard to reach voters, issue advocacy and fundraising.
Atima earned her BA from the University of Virginia and her MPA from George Mason University. She lives in Northern Virginia.
You can follow Atima on Twitter at @atima_omara
Follow our host and producer at @sherishannon27 and @carololson
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Carol Olson Women & Politics June 17th, 2021
Posted In: Local, Music, Music Shows, News
Tags: #womenleaders, AtimaOmara, SheriShannon, virginiapolitics, womenandpolitics
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics -Double Feature
Follow our host and producer at @sherishannon27 and @carololson
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Carol Olson Women & Politics June 3rd, 2021
Posted In: Local, Music, Music Shows, News
Tags: blackwomenlead, carololson, JenniferCarrollFoy, JenniferMcClellan, SheriShannon, womenandpolitics, womenlead
Women & Politics presents:
Women & Politics with Colette McEachin
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Carol Olson Women & Politics May 27th, 2021
Posted In: Local, Music, Music Shows, News
Tags: carololson, ColetteMcEachin, SheriShannon, womenandpolitics