WIL Listen
By SC Women In Leadership
WIL ListenMar 07, 2021
S1 E7: The Future of Our Democracy: Are We Bending Towards Justice?
This month Elizabeth Stribling with South Carolina Women in Leadership talks with Emily Geiger Smith, author of Thank You for Voting: the Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth About Voting in America, and David Daley, author of the National bestseller, Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn’t Count and Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy. In this episode you’ll hear their thoughts on: legislative redistricting currently underway in South Carolina and what invested organizations like SC WIL and citizens might do to make sure their votes count for the next ten years; the ebb and flow of voting rights and access through the years and their perspectives as to whether we are “bending towards justice”; how the “boiling point” were at, demonstrated by the insurrection on the Capitol on January 6, makes horrifying sense; and if we can be optimistic about the future of our democracy.
Data from the 2020 Census was released today, August 16, 2021. In South Carolina the politicians in office decide how legislative district maps are drawn and the lines will determine our choices in the voting booth for the next decade. The redistricting process is already underway and the window of opportunity to voice your concerns is very short. Stay tuned to our social media channels @SCWomenLead and learn more about the nuts and bolts of redistricting, review current district maps, dive into our collection of articles, videos, podcasts, and mapping tools, and learn how YOU can ACT NOW to make your voice heard.
Emily Geiger Smith is a journalist who has written for the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, among many other leading publications. She also worked at Reuters covering legal news. Before becoming a reporter, she was a lawyer practicing commercial litigation in New York and Texas. Erin grew up in Liberty, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas Law School, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She lives in New York City with her husband, Bryan and their son, Reed.
A frequent lecturer and media source about gerrymandering, David Daley is a senior fellow for FairVote, the former editor-in-chief of Salon.com, and former CEO and publisher of the Connecticut News Project. He is a digital media fellow at the Wilson Center for the Humanities and the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia. His journalism on voting rights has appeared in the New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Guardian, New York magazine, the Atlantic, the Boston Globe, Rolling Stone, Details, and he's been on CNN and NPR.
S1 E6: The Future of Women in Leadership
This month Stephania Priester, South Carolina Women in Leadership Outreach Coordinator, talks with Jeni Atchley, President of the South Carolina Young Democrats and Sarah Jane Walker, Chairman of the South Carolina Young Republicans about their perspectives on where we stand on equality for women, how they have civil and productive dialogues in both their personal and professional lives with other women (and men) who don’t necessarily sit on the same side of the aisle, and why young women need to step up and take on leadership roles in their communities and in politics.
Jeni, Sarah Jane, and women of their generation may not face the same overt barriers that their mothers and grandmothers faced decades ago, but despite the changing times, there is still a significant gap in women’s pay equity when compared with white men and women continue to face many internalized barriers to leadership. We now have Kamala Harris, the first Black/Asian woman, as U.S. vice president, but women are still hugely underrepresented in federal, state, and local government, and on appointed boards and commissions. Young women are bringing their unique perspectives to challenge the way the good ‘ole boys have done things.
If you want to get involved in leadership, but the notion of partisan politics has you reluctant, opportunities abound for women to serve on appointed non-partisan boards and commissions that have a profound impact on the everyday life of your neighbors in your community. Use our Matchboard database to find openings on boards and commissions where you live that fit your experience and interests.
S1 E5: Why are some legislative districts so oddly shaped?
New legislative district lines will be drawn based on the final 2020 census numbers expected to be released in mid-August of this year. Those lines can be drawn to intentionally increase or decrease voters' power based solely on their political party or other factors like race and income. This month SC WIL COO, Sara Ballard, talks with South Carolina Senator Mia McLeod and South Carolina Representative Jenny Horne about redistricting at the legislative level and how changes in legislative districts impact citizens and how they are represented.
We hope that Senator McLeod and Representative Horne’s perspectives as legislators as well as incumbent candidates whose districts were redrawn following the 2010 Census will encourage you to contact your legislators to advocate for fairness and transparency in the decision-making process.
This interview was recorded on May 14, 2021, prior to Senator McLeod’s public announcement of her candidacy for Governor of South Carolina.
For the latest information about redistricting, stay tuned to our social media channels @SCWomenLead, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive redistricting news and fair voting alerts in your inbox.
Jenny Anderson Horne is a former Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 94 from 2008 to 2016. In a passionate speech on the House floor after the 2015 murder of nine black members of a Bible study at a Charleston church, Horne advocated for removal of the Confederate battle flag from South Carolina State House grounds, where it had flown since 1962. The speech is credited with helping to change the course of the debate and lead to the vote to remove the flag. Jenny is from Summerville, South Carolina.
Mia S. McLeod is a Democratic member of the South Carolina State Senate, serving District 22 since 2017. On her election, she was the first woman and first African-American to win her Senate seat. She previously served as Representative of District 79 in the South Carolina State House from 2011 to 2016. Mia is from Bennettsville and now resides in Northeast Columbia.
S1 E4: The Impact of Legislative Redistricting on Black Communities
This month Taylor Doggett talks with Mrs. Brenda C. Murphy, the president of the NAACP South Carolina State Conference, the first female elected as president in its 80 years of existence. Brenda discusses how legislative redistricting has historically impacted Black communities in the NAACP’s focus areas of: healthcare access, education, criminal justice, voting rights and political engagement, and economic sustainability.
Stay apprised of what is on the horizon for fair voting in South Carolina so you can do your part to advocate for justice and equality for all people. Visit scwomenlead.net for the latest information about redistricting, stay tuned to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @SCWomenLead, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive redistricting news and fair voting alerts in your inbox.
Brenda was born the oldest of eight children in Ridgeway, SC and currently resides in Columbia, SC. She has served in a number of leadership roles in her more than 40 years as an NAACP member as well as in the Order of the Eastern Star. She has been recognized with numerous Awards and Honors in the course of her more than 40-year Nursing career which included 17 years as a member of the United States Army Reserves Nurse Corp. She is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Nursing Department at South University, Columbia, SC where she mentors and teaches student nurses to be culturally competent and caring. Brenda is a member of Greenview First Baptist Church in Columbia, SC. She is married to Leo Murphy, Jr and they have three children, 10 grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.
Taylor is a native of Columbia, South Carolina, and a graduate of Hammond School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Taylor received her undergraduate degree from the Hussman School of Media and Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations. During her time at UNC, Taylor studied abroad at the Journalism and Media Studies Centre of the University of Hong Kong. She currently works as a Press Assistant for the Fourth Congressional District in North Carolina. In her free time, Taylor enjoys reading, hiking, yoga, and dismantling structural inequality.
S1 E3: Redistricting and How It Impacts Our Daily Lives
This month Eleanor Davis Pierel interviews Lynn Teague, Vice President for Issues and Action with the League of Women Voters of South Carolina. Lynn serves as the League’s lobbyist at the State House and talks with Eleanor about legislative redistricting and fair voting. What is redistricting and how does it impact our daily lives? In the interview, Lynn discusses why the 2020 Census matters, how it informs redistricting, and why we as the public should be involved in the process of drawing our legislative districts.
Our representative democracy requires citizens to be informed and for our legislators to hear from us demanding competitive elections and for the system to be organized in a way that makes our votes meaningful. How our legislative districts are drawn affects our representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and State House, in County Council, down to your local school board. Stay apprised of what is on the horizon for fair voting in South Carolina by visiting scwomenlead.net for the latest information about redistricting, stay tuned to our social media channels @SCWomenLead, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive redistricting news and fair voting alerts in your inbox.
Ready to get involved in the redistricting process? There are several upcoming virtual events hosted by the League of Women voters and our other allied partners listed in the events section of our website.
Lynn Shuler was born in Orangeburg SC, grew up in Columbia, and moved to New Mexico in 1968 at the time of her marriage to George Teague. She is a professional archaeologist, and was on the faculty of the Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona for many years, where she served as Director of the Museum’s Cultural Resource Management Division and later as Coordinator of Arizona’s repatriation laws protecting Native American and other burials and sacred objects. She and her husband returned to South Carolina at the time of their retirement. She has been in per position with the League of Women Voters of South Carolina since 2013.
Eleanor Davis Pierel is a Research Assistant for SC Women in Leadership supporting initiatives to increase fair voting, reduce polarization, and create opportunities for women leaders. Eleanor is also a PhD candidate at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.
S1 E2: Stop Making Excuses and Avoiding Hard Conversations
This month Anne Miller interviews author Jenna Arnold about her book Raising Our Hands: How White Women Can Stop Avoiding Hard Conversations, Start Accepting Responsibility, and Find Our Place on the New Front Lines.
White women are one of the most influential demographics in America—the largest voting bloc, with purchasing power that exceeds any other demographic, and when we unify to demand change, we are a force to be reckoned with.
Jenna Arnold criss-crossed the US to have conversations with white women about their identity and role in the country and found common characteristics— ones that get in the way of us becoming more engaged as citizens. We're so focused on checking off our to-do lists, or so afraid of getting it wrong, or so busy trying to sidestep conflict, that we are actively avoiding the urgent conversations we need to have.
Raising Our Hands is a reckoning call for white women. Jenna Arnold asks us to step up and join the new frontlines in the fight against complacency —in our homes, in our communities and in our own minds. She questions why so many white women sit idly on the sidelines, opting out of raising our hands to do, learn, and engage in ways that could make a difference.
In the interview she acknowledges that we can be furious about indignity and injustice and also admit to being complicit at the same time. Because of privilege and bias, white women have knowingly and unknowingly played by a certain set of rules and it’s time for us to be honest with ourselves about the contradictions in our society. We can no longer make excuses for why we don't have time or don't know enough.
About SC Women in Leadership
Moving South Carolina forward through informing, inspiring, and involving women in leadership has been the mission of South Carolina Women in Leadership (SC WIL) since our founding. Today, as a massive movement for social justice sweeps the country, our mission is more important than ever. SC WIL believes that as more talented women with diverse and inclusive perspectives step up to lead and to govern, gender and racial equality, as well as community equity, can, at last, become a reality. Learn more at www.scwomenlead.net.
S1 E1: South Carolina’s Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement
In the premier episode of the WIL Listen podcast, we commemorate Black History Month with Anita Garrett’s interview of Author Claudia Smith Brinson about her book Stories of Struggle: The Clash Over Civil Rights in South Carolina.