Film Discussion: Geraldine Ferraro with Dr.J. Cherie Strachan

Program
Program participants will be provided with a Zoom link prior to the discussion program. Didn't get to watch the film before our discussion? That's okay. No spoilers! We have a healthy, spirited discussion that won't ruin the film experience for you. Our staff will work with you to access the film following the discussion. For this installment we'll be meeting in Zoom Webinar to hear from Dr. Cherie Strachan, director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute at the University of Akron.
Film Description
GERALDINE FERRARO: PAVING THE WAY is a feature-length documentary about the life and legacy of the trailblazing woman who made history in 1984 as the first female Vice Presidential nominee on a major party ticket in the United States.
The film profiles Ferraro’s life from an impoverished childhood, the struggles she endured while growing up, and the hurdles she faced and overcame both professionally and personally in order to achieve what no woman had done before. The primary focus of the film is Ferraro’s public service and political career, from District Attorney in Queens, NY, and later respected member of Congress, to the emotional night of her Vice Presidential nomination and acceptance speech, along with the tough campaign that followed. Though the Mondale-Ferraro ticket was defeated, the film explores how Ferraro’s landmark nomination and her conduct during that campaign changed the national perception of what was possible for women. The film features never-before-seen archival footage and stills, intimate interviews with Ferraro, and commentary by many leading political figures, both Democrat and Republican, as well as journalists who covered her campaign. With insider access, former NBC Today producer Donna Zaccaro, created a revealing personal portrait of her mother, a woman who changed the face of American politics forever.
About the Q&A Speaker
J. Cherie Strachan is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics. Her political science research combines interests in political participation, voluntary civic and political organizations, and political communication. Recent work explores the #MeToo movement and women’s political ambition, as well as the effects of partisan polarization, rudeness, and civility on political engagement. Her applied civic engagement pedagogy research focuses on facilitating student-led deliberative discussions sessions and on enhancing the political socialization that occurs within campus student organizations.
Strachan is also co-author of the textbook Why Don’t Women Rule the World? and co-editor of the APSA-published resource Strategies for Navigating Graduate School and Beyond.