Published: May 1, 2008

On April 22, a superdelegate and prominent political figure spoke at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC). Donna Brazile, political commentator and chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute, delivered the keynote address for “Pulpit Politics: Gender, Religion and Social Justice in 2008” held in McNally Amphitheatre. She spoke extensively about overcoming obstacles as an African-American Catholic woman in American politics. The Center for Ethics Education and the Center for Electoral Politics and Democracy at Fordham University sponsored the interdisciplinary conference.

Stephen Freedman, senior vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer at Fordham, introduced Brazile as “one of the most powerful women in Washington” and the “ideal speaker” for the conference. Brazile’s political experience ranges from working as the Chief of Staff and Press Secretary for Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to serving as the campaign manager for the Gore-Lieberman ticket in 2000.

Presently, Brazile is the managing director of Brazile and Associates, a political consulting firm in Washington, D.C. She is also a weekly political commentator for CNN, a political consultant for ABC News and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Freedman cited such “unbelievable experience” as contributing factors to Brazile’s status as “one of the best known African-American women in United States politics.”

Brazile joked about her superdelegate status, assuring the crowd that she does not wear a cape and drive a bat mobile, but she then spoke seriously about the crucial decision that lies ahead of her. She stated that she would not base her decision regarding the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee on polls, on who won big states or small states, red states or blue states. “My decision will be based on who will be the best president, so next time there is a storm, we won’t have to wait,” she said in reference to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. As a native of New Orleans, Brazile spoke about the horrors of the time immediately following Katrina and about how she and her family were affected by the disaster. She also stated that, through it all, she never “lashed out at the government, [her] fellow citizens or God.”

This theme of the power to overcome pervaded Brazile’s speech. Throughout her life, she stated that she was constantly presented with obstacles but never let them stop her from achieving her goals. Brazile metaphorically described democracy as a table at which all people should be offered a seat. “Even if I wasn’t offered one, I would bring my own folding chair and get myself a seat at that table,” she said.

Questions about what types of people encounter the most discrimination are commonly asked of Brazile. She said that these inquiries are “distracting and bad.” She stated, “Discrimination is discrimination. We have to do everything in our power to destroy it and let justice rain down.”

Brazile commented on the fact that, in our society, we like to “categorize” people. According to Brazile, not only is this harmful because “we can then marginalize [these people],” but also because some people do not fit into one category.

For example, Brazile herself is an African-American, a feminist, a Catholic and a Democrat. Some of her positions on controversial subjects, including her support for a woman’s right to choose, conflict with her religion.

“She had a really interesting perspective on being pro-choice,” said Anne Fernald, director of the Lincoln Center writing program. Brazile told the audience about how her grandmother, a daughter of a former slave, always told her how lucky she was to live in a time when she could have control over her own body as a woman. “She compared abortion to slavery; not having control over your body is like not having control over your life [as a slave],” Fernald commented.

A standing ovation signified an enthusiastic reaction to Brazile’s speech, especially on the part of students who attended. Greg Palmer, FCLC ’11, enjoyed her explanation of her thought process when she was given the opportunity to meet President Bush. “It made me think about if I would go and meet him, if I had the chance. And then she made some really great points about why she went,” Palmer commented.

Catherine Roberts, FCLC ’10, recalled an anecdote Brazile told about her first experience in politics, which involved supporting a candidate who promised to build a playground in her town. “It was a simple way to look at politics, but she is applying it to the big picture. For example, she said she is going to pick a president based on what they promise to do for the country,” Roberts said.

Brazile’s argument about the categorization of individuals rang true to Cassandra DelGatto, FCLC ’10. “I liked how she addressed the issue of putting labels on people. We shouldn’t label things, we should just see things as good or bad,” DelGatto stated.

Costas Panagopoulos, assistant professor of political science and director of the Center for Electoral Politics and Democracy at Fordham, mediated Brazile’s address and expressed great appreciation of Brazile’s willingness to speak at FCLC. “Donna Brazile is exactly the kind of person the Center for Electoral Politics and Democracy is committed to attracting to campus,” Panagopoulos said.

“Hers is a story of success and triumph over adversity,” he stated. Panagopoulos cited both her “experience as a high-profile political operative” as well as the personal barriers she has overcome as contributors to her ability to effectively discuss “complicated and controversial issues.” He said, “It’s great to see her on television, but even better to see her at Fordham.”