Episode 56: Pressing the Flesh

On January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn into office. Vice President Harris made history as the first female vice president. On top of this landmark she is also the first ever African American and Asian American to serve as vice president. With such remarkable change for our country, our state also saw new beginnings. With the election of Mauree Turner, the first nonbinary state representative to be elected in Oklahoma, Representative Turner didn’t just make Oklahoma history but U.S. history as they are the first openly nonbinary lawmaker to be elected in the United States. This month on Amplified Oklahoma, we’re highlighting women in Oklahoma politics who not only made history with their election but also changed the way campaigns were done. We’ll hear them discuss their campaign strategies and how they engaged their constituents to secure the votes they needed to win. Later, we’ll talk with Dr. Erica Townsend-Bell, Associate Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Center for Africana Studies, as she discusses intersectionality in politics.