Kari Winter Praises Rep. Strickland’s Powerful CNN Moment
quoted Kari Winter, professor of global gender and sexuality studies, in an article about Rep. Marilyn Strickland winning praise online for responding to CNN conservative pundit Scott Jennings with a no-nonsense hand gesture.
UB professor Kari Winter was quoted in a HuffPost article, where she described a recent moment on CNN as “a beautiful, powerful moment.”
The incident involved Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), who calmly raised her finger to stop conservative pundit Scott Jennings from interrupting her during a discussion on federal job cuts under Trump and Elon Musk. Winter said Strickland’s gesture stood out because Democrats often hesitate to respond forcefully, and highlighted that women — especially women of color — are leading the way in showing strength and courage.
The brief, silent gesture quickly went viral, with many viewers praising Strickland for asserting her right to speak. Winter emphasized that it wasn’t aggressive, but assertive — a strong example of a woman confidently taking up space in a political conversation.
