Briahna Joy Gray | |
---|---|
Born | Washington, D.C., U.S. | August 15, 1985
Education | Harvard University (BA, JD) |
Political party | Independent |
Briahna Joy Gray (born August 15, 1985), is an American political commentator, lawyer, and political consultant who served as the National Press Secretary for the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign. Gray is a contributing editor for Current Affairs, and was a senior politics editor for The Intercept.[1][2][3] She now hosts her own podcast, Bad Faith.[4]
Early life and education
Gray was born August 15, 1985 in Howard University Hospital, Washington, D.C.[5][6][7] Both of her parents were teachers.[8] Gray earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.[9]
Career
After graduating from law school, Gray worked as a corporate litigator in New York City for Dewey Pegno & Kramarsky LLP and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. She was also the host of Someone’s Wrong on the Internet, a podcast that covers politics and pop culture.[10] Gray was hired by The Intercept in 2018, and has also written columns for Rolling Stone, Current Affairs, The Guardian, and New York Magazine.
Gray supported Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign and joined his 2020 campaign as his National Press Secretary.[11] Gray has stated that she voted for Jill Stein in the 2016 presidential election.[12][13]
After joining the Sanders campaign in March 2019, Gray became the host of Hear the Bern, a podcast sponsored by the campaign that features interviews with progressive celebrities, journalists, and political figures.[14] Gray has also been featured on CBS News, MSNBC, Bloomberg News, The Majority Report with Sam Seder, The Michael Brooks Show, and Rising on The Hill TV.[15][16][17][18][19] Gray appeared as a guest speaker at the Harvard Law Review Forum.[20] In 2020, Gray was included in Fortune magazine's '40 Under 40' listing under the "Government and Politics" category.[21]
On April 13, 2020, after Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary, Gray stated on Twitter that she did not endorse the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.[22] In response, Bernie Sanders distanced himself from her saying that "She is my former press secretary — not on the payroll."[23] Sanders also stated that it would be "irresponsible" not to vote for Biden.[24]
Since Sanders' 2020 Democratic primary campaign ended, Gray has returned to her role as contributing editor at Current Affairs in addition to co-hosting the Bad Faith podcast with Chapo Trap House co-host Virgil Texas. One of the podcast's most discussed episodes was an October 2020 debate with Noam Chomsky, who implored listeners to vote for Joe Biden as a second Trump presidency would be more detrimental for the world; Chomsky has referred to the Republican Party as one of the most dangerous organizations on Earth, largely due to the party's actions regarding global warming.[25] Conversely, Gray and Texas argued that progressives should only be willing to vote for one of the major parties if certain standards are met.[26][27]
Gray is a contributor to The Gravel Institute.[28] She has appeared as a guest on The West Wing Thing podcast.[29] She is also a frequent guest on the populist web series, Rising.
References
- ^ "Briahna Gray". The Intercept. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ Fang, Marina (March 19, 2019). "Bernie Sanders Hires 2 Journalists For Presidential Campaign". HuffPost. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ Calderone, Michael. "Sanders campaign: Media 'find Bernie annoying, discount his seriousness'". POLITICO. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ Kludt, Tom (February 18, 2021). "Briahna Joy Gray Wants to Upend Democrats' Political Strategy". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
- ^ @briebriejoy (August 14, 2020). "My birthday is tomorrow!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @briebriejoy (June 10, 2020). "I am 34. Dont want to be 35. Certainly don't want to be 36. Easy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @briebriejoy (March 3, 2019). "Here it is. The new "white adjacent" is "you're not a real black person because you're not ADOS." Except I am. It kills these folks that they can't dismiss me for identity reasons. Born to two black Bisons in Howard University hospital" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Gray, Briahna Joy (March 13, 2019). "My parents were so committed to getting us a quality education (which we weren't getting in NC public schools) that they literally became teachers in the international school circuit so that we could have a better education for free. (Tuition was free for teacher's kids)". @briebriejoy. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ Dwilson, Stephanie Dube (March 20, 2019). "Briahna Joy Gray, Bernie Sanders' Press Secretary: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Intercept Adds an Editor Who'll Cover the Democrats' Future | Washingtonian (DC)". Washingtonian. April 26, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Bernie Sanders' Messenger: Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray Keeps Fighting the Good Fight". The Root. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ "Regarding Briahna Joy Gray, the national press secretary for the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign". Daily Kos. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ Briahna Joy Gray [@briebriejoy] (July 21, 2017). "I voted for Jill Stein. Feel free to hear my explanation re why on an early ep of @SWOTIpodcast" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Podcast". Bernie Sanders - Official Campaign Website. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "National press secretary for Sanders 2020 campaign on diversity of supporters". MSNBC.com. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ Bernie Sanders raises $25 million; press secretary discusses campaign strategy, retrieved February 21, 2020
- ^ Sheffield, Matthew (April 1, 2019). "Sanders spokeswoman Briahna Joy Gray discusses healthcare and 2020 Democratic race". The Hill. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Majority Report". The Majority Report. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ Bernie Sanders National Press Secretary on Resonating With Voters, retrieved February 21, 2020
- ^ Policing Identity Politics in Trump's America: Briahna Joy Gray at The Harvard Law Forum, retrieved February 21, 2020
- ^ "Briahna Joy Gray | 2020 40 under 40 in Government and Politics". Fortune. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ "Sanders campaign spokeswoman: 'I don't endorse Joe Biden'". The Hill. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ "AP Interview: Sanders says opposing Biden is 'irresponsible'". AP. April 14, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- ^ "AP Interview: Sanders says opposing Biden is irresponsible". Associated Press. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ "Noam Chomsky: Republican Party is the most dangerous organization in human history". The Independent. April 27, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ Robinson, Nathan (October 16, 2020). "The Chomsky position on voting". Current Affairs. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ Burgis, Ben; McManus, Matt (October 28, 2020). "Why the socialist left should vote for Biden". Areo. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ H. Jon Benjamin & The Gravel Institute (September 28, 2020). "How to Defeat PragerU: Introducing the Gravel Institute". YouTube. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ "The West Wing Thing: Game On w/Special Guest Briahna Joy Gray". westwingthing.libsyn.com.