Mary C. Curtis: Vice Presidential Debate Preview

CHARLOTTE, NC —  Less than 30 days until election day and Wednesday night vice president Mike Pence and senator Kamala Harris will go face to face in Salt Lake city – in the first and only vice presidential debate.

WCCB Political contributor Mary C. Curtis has a preview of the debate and why it matters.

Michelle Obama Cuts Donald Trump Down to Size

Michelle Obama is a powerful voice to have in your corner. She is a singular presence who is — at the same time — Everywoman. But if you get on her bad side, if you demonstrate with word and deed that you disrespect the people and things she cares about, watch out.

In Manchester, New Hampshire, on Thursday, a campaign appearancefor Hillary Clinton became much more. But I’m sure Clinton didn’t mind. The first lady, with raw and visible emotion, put into words what many have been feeling since a cascade of revelations, video tapes and recorded conversations filled in any possible blanks on the character of Donald Trump, on his treatment of — and judgments about — women.

Hillary Clinton and the Glass Ceiling

We heard a lot of talk about breaking the glass ceiling when Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated by a major party to be their presidential candidate. In her acceptance speech she said, “when any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it clears the way for everyone.” So we’re going to look at how this nomination could affect other glass ceilings for women – in politics and business, and for feminism.

Guests
Kelly Finley – senior lecturer and undergraduate advisor, Women’s & Gender Studies, UNC Charlotte

Dr. Dawn Chandler – associate professor of Management, McColl School of Business, Queens University of Charlotte

Mary C. Curtis – journalist and columnist at Roll Call and NBCBLK; she is also a contributor to NPR’s Code Switch

Being Part of – and Apart from – ‘Leaning In’

This has been the year of Sheryl Sandberg and “leaning in,” and, of course, the Journalism & Women Symposium would be in the middle of this timely debate. It’s part of our JAWS mission, after all. And it’s not as though we haven’t been posing similar questions for quite a while.

As I asked in a column in The Washington Post, “Is the manifesto about women not doing enough or trying to do too much? Will busy working women be able to spare the time to see its lessons as valuable rather than additions to already crowded to-do lists? If women feel guilty about shortchanging home or work, is that really Sandberg’s fault?”

At times, it has seemed as though it’s Sandberg’s world and the rest of us just get to react to it. Was it what we have done, have not done, should have done? But there’s a value in that exercise, too, even if it only gets women thinking about how we help ourselves and one anothe