Black female candidates often face institutional obstacles as they seek political office. This chapter argues that the presidential runs of Charlene Mitchell (1968) and Shirley Chisholm (1972), as the first black women to run on an alternative and a dominant party respectively, assist us in thinking more critically about the inherent political limitations black female candidates face when thinking about transitioning to elite level executive politics. Utilizing an intersectional framework to understand these two candidacies illustrates the current day limitations for executive level politics for black female officeholders due to the lack of a “pipeline” to higher office.
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Christina Greer is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University - Lincoln Center (Manhattan) campus. Her research and teaching focus on American politics, black ethnic politics, urban politics, quantitative methods, Congress, New York City and New York State politics, campaigns and elections, and public opinion. Prof. Greer's book Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream (Oxford University Press) investigates the increasingly ethnically diverse black populations in the US from Africa and the Caribbean. She finds that both ethnicity and a shared racial identity matter and also affect the policy choices and preferences for black groups. Professor Greer is currently writing her second manuscript and conducting research on the history of all African Americans who have run for the executive office in the U.S. Her research interests also include mayors and public policy in urban centers. Her previous work has compared criminal activity and political responses in Boston and Baltimore. Prof. Greer received her BA from Tufts University and her MA, MPhil, and PhD in Political Science from Columbia University.
