KU News Release

Donna Brazile to deliver lecture on women in politics March 9 at KU

Donna Brazile

LAWRENCE — Political strategist Donna Brazile will deliver the 2009 Emily Taylor and Marilyn Stokstad Women’s Leadership Lecture, administered by the Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas.

Named one of the “100 Most Powerful Women” by Washingtonian magazine and one of the “Top 50 Women in America” by Essence magazine, Brazile will lecture on “Women in American Politics: Are We There Yet?” at 7 p.m. Monday, March 9, at Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. The event is free and open to the public. A book signing and reception will follow.

Brazile is an author, syndicated columnist and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She began her political career at age 9 when she worked to support the campaign of a city council candidate who promised to build a playground in her neighborhood. Four decades and innumerable state and local campaigns later, she has worked on every Democratic presidential campaign from 1976 through 2000, when she was presidential campaign manager for former Vice President Al Gore. She is the author of the best-selling autobiography “Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics.” In the media, she is a political contributor on CNN; consultant to ABC News; a regular commentator on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”; and frequent contributor to National Public Radio’s “News and Notes.” In print and online, she is a columnist for Roll Call and Ms magazine.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation has honored Brazile with its Award for Political Achievement. Before serving in her current role as vice chair of voter registration and participation for the Democratic National Committee, Brazile dedicated herself to strengthening the American democratic process as chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute. Established in 2001, the institute aims to help protect and promote the rights of all American citizens to participate in the electoral process. Brazile’s passion is encouraging young people to vote, work within the system to strengthen it and run for public office. She is the founder and managing director of Brazile and Associates LLC, a general consulting, grassroots advocacy and training firm based in Washington, D.C.

The Emily Taylor and Marilyn Stokstad Women’s Leadership Lecture is named for two women who were prominent leaders at KU. The fund they established supports lectures by prominent women on women’s leadership issues. Contributions to the fund can be made through KU Endowment.

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