What it Means to be a Woman in Power with Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

During her six years as the mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake wasn’t afraid to ruffle feathers to do what she thought was right for her city, a lesson she learned from her father, Howard “Pete” Rawlings, a child of Baltimore public housing and one of the most powerful political leaders in Maryland. He taught her that popularity and polls didn’t matter—it was the person in the mirror she had to answer to.Before stepping into the mayor’s office, Rawlings-Blake was the youngest person ever elected to the Baltimore City Council—just three years after graduating from Oberlin in 1992, a feat that earned her the nickname “Council Girl” from an older colleague looking to put her in her place. She’s also the first and only Black woman to serve as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Now, she's heading up Airbnb's newly formed housing council — a collection of experts convened to advise the company on how it can help solve one of America's most pressing problems: the affordable housing crisis. Rawlings-Blake joined Running to the Noise host and Oberlin College and Conservatory President Carmen Twillie Ambar to talk about her eventful tenure as Mayor of Baltimore, how to ignore the polls and survive sexist critiques, and why she’s partnering with Airbnb to tackle the country’s housing shortage.Please note: President Ambar spoke with Rawlings-Blake three weeks before a massive cargo ship plowed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six. The former mayor appeared on MSNBC to react to the tragedy she called “devastating.” Listen to her commentary here.Running to the Noise is a production of Oberlin College and is produced by University FM.Episode Links:Stephanie Rawlings-Blake at OberlinOberlin Alumni Magazine profile Spring 2015 Baltimore Sun Obituary for Howard “Pete” RawlingsSBR Voted one of the Top 10 Best-Dressed Mayors (Vanity Fair) Airbnb’s new housing council