We talk with three of Melissa Harris-Perry’s students from Wake Forest University, Cole, Haley and Emma, about their experience following our special midterms coverage: SHElection! In tandem with covering the midterms, our host Prof. Melissa Harris-Perry taught a class called “Girl Stories” which explored stories written by and about American girls and women in order to offer a better understanding of US history and politics.

The students completed creative final projects that touched on some of the important races we discussed in the series: one group of her students made a TikTok account as a part of their final project. In one of their TikToks that went viral, the students poked fun at the “red wave” prediction that was supposed to help candidates like gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake in Arizona. Lake was ultimately defeated by her opponent Democrat Katie Hobbs.

Despite reporting the truth in a light-hearted, creative, and innovative way, the students' comment section was filled with sexist backlash and election denialism. The students join us to discuss the politics of the gendered backlash they faced.