A Black Woman for President

Shirley Chisholm, Carol Moseley Braun, and Kamala Harris

Dianna N. Watkins-Dickerson

• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781496859402
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: African American History
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Throughout US history, only three Black women—Shirley Chisholm, Carol Moseley Braun, and Kamala Harris—have given successfully recognized bids for the office of president of the United States. In A Black Woman for President, author Dianna N. Watkins-Dickerson uses womanist rhetorical criticism to analyze the presidential announcement speeches of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, and then-Senator Kamala Harris. In close readings of each candidate's speeches, Watkins-Dickerson defines womanist rhetorical theory and its efficacy for researching Black female voices in the field of communication in general, and the presidential announcement speeches of Black women, specifically.

Beginning with Shirley Chisholm's historic 1972 campaign as the first Black woman to run a viable campaign for the US presidency, the volume analyzes how Chisholm's speech set a precedent for future generations of Black women in politics by boldly asserting her right to lead, despite the multiple barriers of race and gender. The study then moves to Carol Moseley Braun's 2004 presidential announcement, exploring how Braun's speech navigated the intersections of identity, representation, and political ambition during a time when Black women in the Senate were still a rarity. Finally, the analysis culminates with Kamala Harris's 2020 presidential bid, focusing on how her rhetoric blended elements of Black feminist resistance and national unity in an era of heightened political and racial division.

The volume highlights the ways in which Chisholm, Braun, and Harris drew upon their lived experiences and cultural legacies to construct powerful, transformative narratives and argues that their speeches not only expanded the boundaries of political discourse but also reimagined the possibilities for leadership in America. Ultimately, this study provides a rich, interdisciplinary framework for understanding how Black women have reshaped the political landscape through the power of their words.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: Beyond the Pulpit and the Pew: Searching for Womanist Rhetors on Political Platforms
• Chapter 1: Bringing a Purse to the Political Stage: Introducing Womanist Rhetorical Theory as a Metatheory for Communication Studies
• Chapter 2: “Never Ask for Permission to Lead”: Reimagining Presidential Speeches Through Womanist Rhetorical Theory
• Chapter 3: “I Ran Because Somebody Had to Do It First”: The Presidential Campaign Announcement Speech of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm
• Chapter 4: “Defining Myself … Is One of the Most Difficult Challenges I Face”: The Presidential Campaign Announcement Speech of Senator Carol Mosley Braun
• Chapter 5: “Dreamers Cannot Afford to Sit Around”: The Presidential Campaign Announcement Speech of Senator Kamala Devi Harris
• Chapter 6: “Daring to be Herself”: Using Black Women’s Presidential Campaign Speeches to Create a Theoretical Imperative to Shape the World and a Quasi-Optimistic Future
• References
• Index
• About the Author