Women’s Political Empowerment A Century After the 19th Amendment: Reflections by Women Mayors

On Tuesday, September 17th, the Initiative on Cities invited three Massachusetts mayors, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller of Newton, Mayor Donna Holaday of Newburyport, and Mayor Yvonne Spicer of Framingham, to reflect on their experiences on the campaign trail and in public office and discuss the challenges that women face in political leadership. The panel was moderated by Virginia Sapiro, Professor of Political Science and Dean Emerita of Arts & Sciences and was co-sponsored by the Howard Thurman Center, the Political Science Department, and BU College Democrats.

The mayors provided a brief introduction to the communities they represent and the unique challenges each city faces. They all highlighted different obstacles they had to overcome to run for office and serve in a position of political leadership. They emphasized that women must work together to shift the status quo and fight for better representation on the local, state, and national level – which starts with empowering more women to run for office.

Read more about the panel here.