President's Forum Welcomes Maya Rupert
What does it mean to be “authentic” in American politics? And who gets to be?
Political strategist and author Maya Rupert will dig into that question and more during a President’s Forum Series event, drawing from her new book The Real Ones: How to Disrupt the Hidden Ways Racism Makes Us Less Authentic. The talk will be held on Tuesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. in Froelich Hall of the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts. The event is free and open to the public.
A nationally recognized political strategist, Rupert served as campaign manager for Julián Castro’s 2020 Presidential campaign, becoming the third Black woman in U.S. history to run a presidential campaign. She later managed Maya Wiley’s 2021 New York City mayoral campaign and served as a Harvard Resident Fellow.
In The Real Ones, Rupert examines how authenticity functions as both currency and constraint, particularly for candidates and leaders of color. Through personal stories, political insight and cultural analysis, Rupert argues that for many people “being real” often requires making others comfortable, even at the expense of one’s full identity.
During the talk, Rupert will also discuss the obstacles candidates of color face on the campaign trail and the double-edged nature of representation in politics and media. She will unpack the personas many professionals adopt to navigate predominantly white spaces and how feminist movements have too often sideline Black women. The conversation will extend to today’s evolving challenges around DEI and hiring practices.
The Real Ones will be available for purchase outside of Froelich Hall.
Rupert is the Executive Vice President at Blue State and host of the NAACP Image Award–nominated podcast When We Win. Her commentary has appeared on MSNBC, CNN and NPR, and in The New York Times and The Atlantic. Her writing has earned her a Salute to Excellence Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. She earned a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. She clerked for the Honorable Eric L. Clay of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Established in 2000 by President Mark D. Gearan, the President’s Forum Series brings influential thinkers and leaders to campus to engage students, faculty, staff and community members in conversations that shape public life. Upcoming talks include Vikki Spurill P'12, president and CEO of the New England Aquarium, who will share from her knowledge on ocean conservation on Wednesday, April 15.
