This slate of candidates for this year’s midterm elections is more diverse than we’ve seen before.
At least that’s how it appears to an executive from one political action organization that advocates for getting women into office.
“What has been really interesting has been to be in this room and see the energy and see the commitment of women that we’re seeing,” said Vanessa Cardenas, Strategic Communications Director of Emily’s List. “We want to be at the table when these decisions are being made about our bodies, about our children, about our schools.”
Emily’s List, which focuses on pro-choice, Democratic women, teaches its members the steps to running for office and holds events where community members can support said candidates.
Cardenas says 26,000 women signed up for its programs after the 2016 presidential election, and there’s already been an impact. She points to victories by female candidates in Virginia last November and the voter turnout in Alabama that swayed last month’s special election for the U.S. Senate as examples. And there’s more diversity on the ballot for the midterms.
“In Chicago, for example, we have Sol Flores, who is a community activist that built-up a non profit from the ground up, advocating for the homeless community there. She’s a first-time candidate,” Cardenas said. “In El Paso, Texas we had the opportunity to elect the first Latina elected for Congress and she’s a judge, and she has an amazing background.”
Cardenas’ comments come before this weekend’s second annual Women’s March. Last year’s event, held in cities across the globe, drew 6 million people and became the largest organized march in U.S. history.
But while the movement was criticized by some for ignoring issues affecting women of color and trans women, Cardenas says that “younger, more diverse women” are now committed to march to a different beat.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/what-to-expect-from-the-second-annual-womens-march).
Although still early in development, blockchain technology, Web3, also known as Web 3.0 has been getting a lot of attention from some top tech names lately. Web3 is based on blockchain technology, which powers NFT’s and cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. With Web3, users would ideally control their own data, rather than have it be controlled by a few large companies. But, Tesla CEO Elon musk isn't buying into Web3 just yet, tweeting over the weekend that the decentralized iteration of the internet seems more like a marketing "buzzword" right now than reality. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey also chiming in to the conversation, expressing doubt over whether or not Web3 would actually be decentralized if ownership still belonged to venture capital firms. Parker McCurley, co-founder & CEO of Decent Labs explains the significance of Web3 catching the eye of the tech giants, and what Web3 could mean for the future of the internet.
Carlo and Baker cover the heartening news on the Covid front ahead of the holiday, plus President Biden punting student loan repayments again, a new space telescope and Love, Hate, Ate: Christmas Eve Eve Edition!
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A new series is looking to advance Black founders who have disruptive ideas and companies. 'Bet on Black' is a new series that allows black entrepreneurs to pitch their businesses in the hopes of securing $200,000 in funding. Revolt TV and Target teamed up to create the show. Detavio Samuels, CEO of Revolt, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Bitcoin's rise to the mainstream has been a wild ride this year. The cryptocurrency is trading a little under $49,000 Wednesday morning and is set to finish the year sharply higher than where it began earlier this year. Ether prices also soared this year, rising from $730 per coin to nearly $4,000. Ben Armstrong, founder of Bitboy Crypto, joins us to discuss what's in store for crypto in 2022.
