Vanessa Catherine Tyson is an American political scientist and politician. She is an associate professor of politics at
Scripps College
Scripps College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Claremont, California. It was founded as a member of the Claremont Colleges in 1 ...
and a political science fellow at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
. Tyson was an unsuccessful candidate for
California's 57th State Assembly district
California's 57th State Assembly district is one of 80 California State Assembly districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Lisa Calderon.
District profile
The district encompasses an eastern portion of the Gateway Cities region as ...
in
the 2020 election, finishing in fifth place with 8.6% of the vote in the nonpartisan primary.
Early life and education
Tyson was raised in
Whittier, California
Whittier () is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 United States ...
. She was the victim of childhood abuse. Tyson was voted "Most likely to succeed," as a senior at
La Serna High School
La Serna High School (abbreviated LSHS) is a public high school in Whittier, California that was founded in 1961 and is part of the Whittier Union High School District. The school has been honored five times as a California Distinguished School mo ...
.
She completed a bachelor of arts in politics and a certificate in African American studies at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in 1998. She was awarded the Ruth B. Simmons Thesis Prize and the 1998 Spirit of Princeton award. Tyson earned a master's degree and a doctor of philosophy in political science from
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
. Her 2011 dissertation on marginalization and influence in the U.S. House of Representatives was the basis for her book ''Twists of Fate''. Her doctoral advisors were
Michael C. Dawson and
Cathy J. Cohen
Cathy J. Cohen (born 1962) is an American political scientist, author, feminist, and social activist, whose work has focused on the African-American experience in politics from a perspective which is underlined by intersectionality. She is curren ...
.
Career
Tyson was an assistant professor at
Dickinson College
, mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning
, established =
, type = Private liberal arts college
, endowment = $645.5 million (2022)
, president = J ...
in the Department of Political Science for about eight years, where she taught courses in American government, political representation, and marginalization of groups though racism, sexism, and homophobia.
She left the institution in June 2015 and is currently an associate professor of politics at
Scripps College
Scripps College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Claremont, California. It was founded as a member of the Claremont Colleges in 1 ...
. During the 2018-19 academic year, Tyson was a fellow at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) is an interdisciplinary research lab at Stanford University that offers a residential postdoctoral fellowship program for scientists and scholars studying "the five core social a ...
.
In 2019, Tyson, a Democrat, announced her candidacy for the
California State Assembly's 57th District.
The 57th District includes Tyson's hometown of
Whittier, California
Whittier () is a city in Southern California in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, part of the Gateway Cities. The city had 87,306 residents as of the 2020 United States census, an increase of 1,975 from the 2010 United States ...
as well as
Norwalk,
Hacienda Heights
Hacienda Heights () is an unincorporated suburban community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the community had a total population of 54,038, up from 53,122 at the 2000 census. For statistical purposes, the ...
, and
La Puente
La Puente (Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.
History
The original inhabitants of the ...
. The incumbent,
Ian Calderon
Ian Charles Calderon (born October 19, 1985) is an American politician serving in the California State Assembly. He is a Democrat representing the 57th Assembly District, which encompasses the Gateway Cities and portions of the San Gabriel Va ...
, announced in November that he would not be seeking reelection.
[ In her announcement, she stated that she would be focusing on environmental protection, affordable housing, poverty reduction, access to education, and advocacy for women's rights and sexual violence prevention.][ Five other Democrats and one Republican have also filed papers to replace Calderon, including Whittier City Councilmembers Josue Alvarado and Henry Bouchot.
]
Personal life
In 2019, Tyson alleged that Justin Fairfax
Justin Edward Fairfax (born February 17, 1979) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the second African-American elected statewide i ...
had sexually assaulted her in 2004 in his hotel room in Boston. Tyson was volunteering at a Boston rape crisis center at the time. He denied sexually assaulting her and said their encounter was consensual. She hired Katz Katz or KATZ may refer to:
Fiction
* Katz Kobayashi, a character in Japanese anime
* "Katz", a 1947 Nelson Algren story in '' The Neon Wilderness''
* Katz, a character in ''Courage the Cowardly Dog''
Other uses
* Katz (surname)
* Katz, British C ...
, Marshall & Banks, the legal team that represented Christine Blasey Ford
Christine Margaret Blasey Ford ( ; born November 1966) is an American professor of psychology at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She specializes in designing statistical models f ...
during the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination
On July 9, 2018, President of the United States, President Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States to succeed retiring ...
.
Selected works
Books
* [Reviews of ''Twists of Fate'':
*
*
*
* ]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyson, Vanessa C.
Living people
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences fellows
Princeton University alumni
University of Chicago alumni
Dickinson College faculty
Scripps College faculty
20th-century American women scientists
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century American politicians
American women political scientists
American political scientists
American women social scientists
African-American political scientists
21st-century American women scientists
20th-century social scientists
21st-century social scientists
Scientists from California
African-American women in politics
20th-century African-American scientists
21st-century African-American scientists
People from Whittier, California
Year of birth missing (living people)
California Democrats
Women in California politics
Politicians from Greater Los Angeles
African-American people in California politics
Candidates in the 2020 United States elections
20th-century African-American women
21st-century African-American women