A coalition of women’s groups is attacking CNN for failing to select a single woman of color to moderate the Democratic debates.
“We have the most diverse pool of presidential candidates in our country’s history including the third black woman to seek the Democratic nomination, yet the debate stage has left out an important voice at the moderator’s table,” said Glynda C. Carr, president of Higher Heights for America, an organization dedicated to putting black women in positions of political power.
California Sen. Kamala Harris follows black woman predecessors Shirley Chisholm — who was the first woman of color to vie for the Democratic nomination in 1972 — and Carol Moseley Braun.
Carr will be at the debate in Detroit Tuesday to speak about her concerns.
CNN anchorwoman Dana Bash will join fellow network talent Jake Tapper and Don Lemon, who is black, to moderate the debates Tuesday and Wednesday night in Detroit.
“Debate moderators have an important role to play in shaping public perceptions of candidates, so including more women moderators is an important first step for the networks during these debates,” said Anna Chu of the National Women’s Law Center.
CNN has women of color who are anchors. Ana Cabrera, a Mexican American, heads weekend primetime news, and Fredricka Whitfield, who is black, is an Atlanta-based anchor.
A CNN spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A rep for the Democratic National Committee that organizes the debates also didn’t respond.
Carr, Chu and the third member of their coalition — Shaunna Thomas of the feminist group UltraViolet Action — are circulating a petition demanding that women of color moderate future debates. They think Robin Roberts would be a great choice for ABC News, which will host the third round of debates along with Univision in Houston. The September event will take place at Texas Southern University, a historically black public university.
The moderators haven’t been announced and the networks did not answer a query.