Former Congresswoman Ludmya “Mia” Love

This podcast that follows the political career of Ludmya Love, known to her constituents and the public as Mia Love. Mia Love rose to national prominence after being elected the first Black Republican woman to Congress. Love was elected at a representative for Utah in 2014. This was not the beginning of her career though. Love was a council woman and a mayor before she began her career as a representative. Before she got into politics, she had a career in media with a degree in fine arts and marketing. These proved to be the tools that helped mold her into the career that she has today. The question that many grapple with is how Love could possible be a Republican though. The actions of many prominent Republican figures, like President Donald Trump, have led many to see the Republican party as the party of racists and sexists. With this in mind, many find it hard to understand how Love could be a proud member of the Republican party.

Some find it bizarre to even think that a Black woman could belong to the Republican party. The party has historically not been diverse in terms of women leaders, yet alone Black leaders. The prime example being that it took until 2014 for the party to support and elect its first Black Republican woman to office. This podcast will attempt to highlight a point made salient in the Black Women in Political Leadership course. That is the fact that the Black women in leadership at any level or in any capacity is complicated. Their paths to leadership are quite complex and can’t use the same lenses that we often use to view men in leadership. A Hewlett Packard internal report found that men apply for a job or promotion when they only meet 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them. The confidence gap is a huge reality, and there is probably even more studies to show this confidence gap impacts women of nonwhite racial groups differently. This is why I am taking this podcast to highlight the burden of being first. Black women are pioneers by nature, but they take this step even further by usually being the first or few of women in their fields. Mia Love is no different. By becoming the first Black Republican women elected to Congress, she opens the doors for many women after her, even if many see her being Republican and Black women as a paradox. This podcast will attempt to dissect the paradox of being a Black woman and Republican while always keeping in mind the struggles placed onto any leadership position where someone is the first person to occupy that position. Unfortunately, I was unable to get in contact with Love. What I will attempt to do in this podcast though is take clips from her previous interviews on her leadership and shape them into a cohesive work on Love’s leadership path.

Looking at Love’s family history is crucial to understanding her career. As a child of immigrants who came to America with only 10 dollars to their name, Love is no stranger to hardship. She was able to watch her family rise out of hardship to make a name for themselves as well as give her an amazing childhood. This can help to explain why Love agrees with some of the principles of the Republican Party that focus on “pulling yourself up by the bootstraps” rhetoric. She has saw first hand that by securing economic stability, you can then find the benefits of the American dream. She has also grew up in a household where she was always told to not be a burden to society. In an attempt to not be a burden to society, Love has instead always taken on the burden herself. This is why I take the time to explore the burden of being first.

Featured Photo Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrat-edges-out-republican-rep-mia-love-in-utah/2018/11/20/8b13ba82-e44b-11e8-8f5f-a55347f48762_story.html