Women of Color Mobilizing: Sistahs are Doing It for Themselves from GOTV to Running Candidates for Political Office

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pundits and scholars alike point to recent elections as evidence of a changing American electorate with women of color (WOC) at the center of creating a more diverse electorate. Similarly, we are also witnessing an increase in WOC seeking political office at all levels. We focus on the apparatuses driving increased participation of WOC in these aspects of electoral politics. We argue that much of the growth in WOC voting and running as candidates for public office stem from strategic networks of WOC-centered mobilizations working to extend democratic inclusion. We build a framework to theorize the interconnected relationships of these groups and depict the complex ecosystem of WOC formations in operation as they cultivate a more diverse electorate and candidate base simultaneously. Specifically, we focus on WOC-centered groups during the 2020 election cycle, providing a typology of political activism based upon the types of labor they contribute to the democratic process.