Happy Friday! Welcome to our Media Round Up. Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories. Here’s what caught our eye this week:

 

Barbara Lee, a Longtime Congresswoman, Is Running for Senate in California

Jazmine Ulloa and Reid J. Epstein, New York Times

On Tuesday, Representative Barbara Lee entered the 2024 Senate race in California. Representative Lee is now the third prominent Democrat to run for the California Senate seat being vacated by current Senator Dianne Feinstein. Representative Lee rose to prominence after the September 11, 2001 attacks when she stood alone in Congress against authorizing military action. She is the highest-ranking Black woman appointed to Democratic leadership in the House. Representative Lee’s campaign video highlights the racism she experienced and fought against in her youth as well as her struggles as a single mother and survivor of domestic violence.

Read the full story here.

 

In historic first, Jennifer McClellan just won election to Congress. Black women say it’s not enough

Phillip M. Bailey and Mabinty Quarshie, USA Today

According to experts, activists, and strategists, while Black female voters are the backbone of the Democratic Party, they aren’t accepted as the party’s face. Currently, there are no Black women in the Senate, and there has never been a Black woman governor. Following critiques of Vice President Kamala Harris’ electability and electoral losses last year, Black women are demanding increased political support from Democrats, including “… financial banking, endorsements, candidate building and mentoring.” Without their demands met, the Democratic Party risks losing their most loyal bloc.

Read the full story here.

 

Jennifer McClellan’s congressional election in Virginia just made history

Hannah Demissie, ABC News

On Tuesday, Jennifer McClellan made history has the first Black woman elected from Virginia to serve in Congress. McClellan faced Republican Leon Benjamin for Virginia’s 4^th Congressional District, vying to fill the seat left vacant by the late Representative A. Donald McEachin. McClellan’s top issues included abortion access, voting rights, and the environment. McClellan passed over 350 pieces of legislation during her time in the state legislature.

Read the full story here.

 

A woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth: UN agencies

World Health Organization

According to the latest estimates released by the United Nations agencies, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth every two minutes. The report presents significant progress in reducing maternal deaths between 2000 and 2015, however gains either stalled or reversed after this point. The topline data from the report shows that maternal deaths are heavily concentrated in the poorest parts of the world and countries affected by conflict. In countries with humanitarian crises, maternal mortality rates were more than double the average.

Read the full story here.

 

Disinformation Campaigns Against Women Are a National Security Threat, New Study Finds

Astha Rajvanshi, Time

A new study called “Monetized Misogyny” conducted by Lucina Di Meco, co-founder of #ShePersisted, highlights that gendered disinformation leads to the reversion of women’s rights and democracy, as well as it becoming “ … a national security threat when foreign actors use it to exploit divisions in society.” Di Meco defines gendered disinformation as “… the spread of deceptive or inaccurate information or images used against women in public life.” A few key findings regarding gendered disinformation include women being more targeted than men, marginalized women being targeted more dangerously, and digital platforms struggling to protect women Gendered disinformation also serves as an “early warning system” for democracies.

Read the full story here.