“It was very important for me to say 'this is what excellence looks like,' because it’s diagnostic. Look around. Right now. Right here. We already have this gem…You look at a place like CAWP, and it’s the best place in the country to study these topics.” - Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway

CAWP Director Debbie Walsh recently sat down with Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway for his ongoing Faces & Voices of Rutgers series. In the series, Holloway explores different parts of the university through in-depth conversations with Rutgers faculty and staff. During their discussion, Walsh and Holloway talk about CAWP’s founding and 50-year mission to chronicle women’s political participation and expand their access to power, Walsh’s four decades at the Center and the path that brought her here, and how both Walsh and Holloway experienced civic and political awareness. Holloway also talked about the importance, as an incoming president, to not only imagine a path forward for the university, but to also recognize and promote the excellence that already exists here at Rutgers, CAWP included.

It’s a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion, and we deeply appreciate President Holloway’s interest in the Center and leadership at Rutgers. Read more and watch the full conversation at the Faces & Voices site.

Last week, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black woman, and sixth woman, confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States. The seeds for this historic moment were planted during the 2020 presidential election, when then-candidate Joe Biden pledged to nominate a Black woman to the court. Judge Jackson comes to SCOTUS with a depth of previous experience, having spent more time as a judge than four of her future colleagues, and she will also be the first Supreme Court justice with experience as a federal public defender.

Just three Republican senators voted to confirm Judge Jackson, two of whom are women. Also of note: zero Black women voted for Judge Jackson’s confirmation, as no Black women currently serve in the Senate. Only two Black women have ever served in the Senate in all of American history. Judge Jackson is expected to take her seat in the summer, following the departure of her predecessor, Justice Stephen Breyer, who will finish the current Supreme Court session.

New from CAWP scholars Kira Sanbonmatsu and Kelly Dittmar, along with their co-author Catherine Wineinger, in Cambridge University Press’s journal PS: Political Science and Politics: “Studying Legislatures at the Intersection of Gender and Race: The View from the 114th Congress.” This article revisits the 2018 book from Sanbonmatsu, Dittmar, and Susan J. Carroll, A Seat at the Table: Congresswomen’s Perspectives on Why Their Presence Matters, for a deeper look at the intersection of race and gender in legislative analyses.

This article provides a few examples from our semi-structured interviews that attest to the value of scholarly attention to the ways that gender and race simultaneously shape legislators’ experiences, behavior, and influence. With the rise of women of color serving in Congress (currently 50 of the 144 total women), legislative scholars would be wise to incorporate intersectional analyses in their research agendas.

Read the full article here.

From our colleagues at the Eagleton Institute of Politics: Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway will host three nationally-prominent scholars for a discussion exploring The Past and Future of Democracy — particularly the actions we can take in our troubled present to secure our democracy’s future.

Join President Holloway and Clifford P. Case Co-Professors Jill Lepore, Eric Liu, and Natalia Molina on April 15th at 1pm via Zoom.

This program is presented by the Clifford P. Case Professorship of Public Affairs, which honors Senator Case by bringing prominent and respected public servants to meet with students and deliver public remarks at Rutgers. Register now.

The Susan N. Wilson NEW Leadership® New Jersey summer institute is a non-partisan college students' public leadership training program addressing women's underrepresentation in politics. This six-day residential program will take place June 9-14, 2022 at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. During the summer institute, students will meet women leaders, learn about women’s participation in American politics, and develop and practice leadership skills through panel discussions, workshops, and projects. After the summer institute, participants become part of NEWL’s national network of distinguished alumnae.

Applications are due by April 20th, 2022; learn more and apply today at the NEW Leadership® page on the CAWP website.

Not a student in New Jersey? Find a NEW Leadership® national network partner program in your state or region.