The impact of black female leadership on local level politics will be discussed tomorrow at the fourth Feminist Friday of the year. 

Monic Behnken, assistant professor in sociology, will be leading the discussion and give her perspective from running for local office and being a woman of color.

Behnken completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Houston, her doctorate of law from Golden Gate University School of Law and her doctorate of philosophy in clinical psychology from the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology.

Behnken is an attorney, licensed to practice law in Iowa and California, and was previously an Ames school board candidate.

In an interview with the Daily she stated, during the election, she was horrified with what transpired, not necessarily by the outcome but what she saw in the process. She said the voices of communities of color were being dismissed and mocked and this is not how government should work.

In 2018, 106 women hold seats in the United States Congress. 38 percent are women of color.

Of the 1,868 women state legislators serving nationwide, 450, or 24.1 percent, are women of color.

Feminist Fridays are held in the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.