Rep. Jasmine Crockett on Politics, Patriarchy, Profits and the Presidency
(lengthy, very interesting read)
Rep. Jasmine Crockett on Politics, Patriarchy, Profits and the Presidency
PUBLISHED 10/8/2024 by Tori Dunlap
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) addresses the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 19, 2024. (Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, representing Texas’ 30th Congressional District, has become a breakout star in the Democratic Party, effectively keeping politicians and pundits three times her age in check using clapbacks, one-liners—and facts. I spoke to Crockett at the Democratic National Convention, where she delivered an energetic, standout 10-minute speech, in which she blasted Trump as a “career criminal” (“Kamala Harris has a résumé. Donald Trump has a rap sheet”) and introduced herself to much of America as a former public defender and mentee of Kamala Harris. “Will a vindictive vile villain violate voters’ vision for a better America or not?” she asked the crowd. “I hear alliteration is back in style.”
I was one of the first creators in history invited to the DNC this fall. In 2016, Donald Trump was elected president. His presidency—rife with policies that disproportionately affected women—inspired me to start a business devoted to helping women fight the patriarchy by getting rich. Today, the business has generated an audience millions of women strong, plus a New York Times bestselling book and top podcast.
Crockett, too, understands the intersection of money, politics and the patriarchy intimately well. Below, find highlights from our discussion at the DNC, including her advice for young entrepreneurs, her fight for reproductive justice in Texas, and what it means for a woman of color to be nominated for president of the United States.
. . .
Tori Dunlap: Can you tell me who you are and what you do?
Jasmine Crockett: I’m Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. I proudly represent Texas’ 30th congressional district in Washington, D.C.
Dunlap: I own my own business, and I am one of 2 percent of women entrepreneurs who have hit over a million dollars in revenue—but we’re only at 2 percent! What do you say to women who want to start their own businesses, and then how do we support them in their journeys to become successful?
Crockett: So a couple of things.
Number one, just do it. You know, one of the things that I found—I’m actually a business major with an emphasis in finance, who happens to go to law school, and then prior to entering politics, I owned my own law firm as well, as well as some other stuff. You just gotta do it. One of the things that we found is that men are not as risk-averse as women are, so I’m not saying to jump in the deep end like they do, but just know that you are more than capable, because women are such analytical thinkers. You will never think of everything, but you will think of enough to make sure that you can get started.
And don’t be afraid to ask for help. Look at someone who is successful. Look at someone who is in that 2 percent and say, you know what, I’m just getting started. Don’t look at it and act as if it would be about competition, because there is enough for all of us. Again, there’s only 2 percent that are sitting in that particular category. So that means that we’ve got more space to expand. Look for someone that can mentor you, that’s willing to mentor you, so that hopefully you don’t end up taking some of the missteps that they took.
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Dunlap: What does Kamala Harris’ presidential nomination mean for women, women of color and immigrants?
Crockett: She is our ancestor’s wildest dreams.
https://msmagazine.com/2024/10/08/jasmine-crockett/