Study: Communication Surrounding U.S. Black Female Candidates Can Potentially Reshape Perceptions of Black Women as Leaders
A new study has found that communication surrounding U.S. Black female political candidates can potentially reshape perceptions of Black women as leaders, which could impact efforts to court voters.
The findings by Rachel Grant, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (FCJC) Journalism assistant professor, and UFCJC doctoral student Nikki Lyons are featured in “Focusing on the Fellas: Stacey Abrams’ Social Media Campaign Addresses Misogynoir in U.S. Politics” published in the International Communication Association’s Communication Culture and Critique journal on Nov. 29.
Grant and Lyons examined the discourse surrounding the 2022 “Stacey and the Fellas” campaign aimed at increasing U.S. Black male voter turnout and countering rising misogynoir — the dislike, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against Black women. In particular, the misogynoir directed at Abrams during her run to become Georgia’s governor.
According to the authors, “Our study employed misogynoir as a framework to investigate the media narratives about Black women in U.S. politics and how Stacey Abrams’ campaign attempted to redefine those narratives, and critical discourse analysis to identify key discourses on racialization, Black masculinity and misogynoir. These insights shed light on the communication surrounding U.S. Black female candidates on Twitter and their potential to reshape perceptions of Black women as leaders, which could impact their efforts to court voters.”
They add, “Within the context of the ’Stacey and the Fellas’” campaign, this research contributed to a deeper understanding of how political communication by Black female candidates on digital platforms can reshape misogynoiristic perceptions impacting their courtship of the Black male vote, offering insights for future campaign strategies and discourse-centered approaches to political engagement.”
Posted: December 5, 2024
Category: College News, Student News
Tagged as: Misogynoir, Nikki Lyons, Rachel Grant, Stacey and the Fellas
