Our future: Madame Vice President Kamala D. Harris

Harris is sworn in as vice president as her husband holds the Bible. Harris was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She wore the color purple as a nod to Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to run for president. Andrew Harnik/Pool/AP.

BY: JACQUELINE QIU, WINTER 2021 COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

On January 20, 2021, Kamala Devi Harris became the first female vice president in the history of the United States. She is the highest ranking female elected official in our nation’s history, after a successful career as the Attorney General of the state of California (2011-2017) and the junior senator for California before her current tenure as Vice President of the United States. Not only has Vice President Harris shattered various glass ceilings that have limited the socio-political potential of women, she exemplifies the achievement of the conjoint ends of gender and racial equality. Growing up with both African American and Asian American ancestry, as her mother is from India and her father hails from British Jamaica, she is the first African American and (South) Asian American vice president. Vice President Harris inspires the future of women in politics, such as women like me, as well as younger generations of females that wish to see a future where they may hold public office, without any obstacles that block their path. 

““While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.” -Vice Presidential Acceptance Speech, November 7, 2020, ”

With her dual cultural heritages, our current vice president epitomizes diversity, representation, intersectionality, and equity. She is a woman of color who has successfully persevered through societal institutions, which may not be as evident as the clear disenfranchisement of women that the suffragists combatted, that have functioned to place unequal expectations on her role in society. Harris has assumed this landmark position as vice president, despite her intersectional identity as both a woman and person of color, which has yielded various types of exclusion and oppression in society.  Her identity as a woman of color has functioned in a manner that challenges societal institutions, such as the white, patriarchal nature of public office in the United States. Instead of permitting the intersectionality of her racial and gender identity to limit her efforts towards serving the American people and upholding democracy, she has successfully embraced her conjoint identity to empower herself and all of the identities that she represents. Her presence, her identity, and her words have powerful effects that are needed to assert the future for women in politics, in addition to racial equity. 

Vice President Kamala Harris walks with her family to the White House. Maddie McGarvey for CNN.

It is important to recognize the historic day of January 20, 2020 since the trajectory of women in politics, in terms of their public representation, has changed for the better. Now, we hope that women in politics may become the norm, instead of the outlier. Little girls, with skin in every color, can see a role model in Harris; they can grow up knowing their identity matters, from their gender to their race, without hesitation. They now live in a reality where it is possible to grow up and become like Vice President Harris. Additionally, women, especially women of color, are assured that shattering patriarchal institutions in politics is possible, and not just a hopeful aspiration. For example, for me, as a woman of color, I now see that all facets of my identity can be represented in the highest public offices of the land. ice president. Vice President Kamala Harris is not only a role model for females, of all ages, of all backgrounds, but a reflection of what America can be. While our country must heal from the present inequalities that plague us in the present day, it is imperative that we celebrate the presence of Kamala Harris in the office of Vice President of the United States. The historic day Harris’ inauguration, on the 20th of January in 2021, is just the beginning for women in politics.

Jacqueline Qiu is a junior at Middlebury College, double majoring in French and Political Science. She is passionate about humanitarianism, women in politics, mental health awareness and advocacy, and French language and literature. On campus, she is the Co-President of the French club and Active Minds Middlebury

Dr. Susan Buchanan

SUSAN BUCHANAN, VILLAGE TRUSTEE FOR OAK PARK, ILLINOIS

Photo provided by Susan Buchanan

Interviewed by: Molly Conover, Summer Collaborator

Susan Buchanan is a Clinical Associate Professor and a family and occupational medicine physician at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has dedicated her career to caring for vulnerable populations and investigating workplace and environmental hazards. Her research focuses on these hazards and their impacts on women’s reproductive health and the health of minority, low-income, and immigrant workers. She proudly uses her decades of medical experience to guide and inform her work as a village trustee in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, where she is committed to promoting sustainable practices and racial and gender equity in her community. Her place of special meaning is anywhere where she can find a quiet, peaceful moment in the outdoors-- these days, her backyard.

Dr. Buchanan has been a feminist and an activist since her early days. Her first political acts included breaking her school's “no pants for girls” dress code in third grade, and teaching a black co-worker how to swim at the all-white country club where she worked the summer before starting college.

Though Dr. Buchanan has been fighting for a more just world her entire life, the 2016 election served as an awakening, both to the profound and plentiful injustices in this nation, and to her power to do something about them. After listening to two particularly inspiring speeches, she saw no option but to take matters into her own hands and run for office herself.

Unable to bear the thought of letting Obama --and her community, down-- she decided to run for village trustee. Finding campaign help in books, friends, and community groups, she got to work. Dr. Buchanan was one of 13 people running for 3 open seats. After a long, hard, and cold campaign, she came out on top-- and the hard work had only just begun. 

Her trusteeship has been primarily dedicated to addressing two issues: racial equity and the environment. A recent national TV series highlighted in the prevalence of racial discrimination in Oak Park schools, so her community and fellow trustees share this priority. Her desire to promote renewable energy and install solar panels on all flat-roofed government buildings, however, has not been met with the same response. Though she feels that much of the Oak Park community considers this an urgent issue, she is the lone, urgent voice on the village board constantly pushing for their community to innovate and stay ahead of the curve.

Dr. Buchanan knew she wanted to center her trusteeship around race and the environment, two issues she has spent decades thinking about as a physician and a citizen. She is not afraid to admit that there are also many issues that she is not an expert on; and, as she learned in her career in medicine, faking it isn’t an option. When she doesn’t have the information she needs to take a stance or make a decision, rather than pretending, she asks for help. 

One of the barriers Buchanan was most surprised and frustrated by during her first year in office was the complexity of what she considered to be a relatively small town’s government. Oak Park operates under a village manager structure meaning that she and her fellow board members do not have the power to set meeting agendas or discuss specific policy issues unless they are on that agenda. Dr. Buchanan considers one of her biggest successes as a trustee to be the forming of a climate action plan working group, which she initiated and saw through. This, something she was ready to do on her first day in office, was something she was only able to accomplish after learning the ins and outs of the governance structure she must work within.

When asked what message she had to share with young women, Dr. Buchanan remembered some empowering words that her father spoke to her when she was a young woman. She echoed his statement: “you can be anything you want to be,” and hoped that her words would inspire young women to use their power and lead us into a more equitable future.

Marla Farbacher

** Marla is not currently an elected official. She is running for political office. Marla’s current position is Chief Counsel for the Grand Jury Division of Franklin County, OH. **

INTERVIEWED BY HALEY GLOVER

Photographed by Victoria Vongsaphay

MARLA FARBACHER, CANDIDATE FOR MADISON COUNTY (OH) PROSECUTOR

Place of Special Meaning: My children both attended West Jefferson Schools… We have a lot of community involvement and ties to the high school. More specifically, this will be my tenth season as the volunteer West Jefferson High School mock trial legal advisor…. Mock trial is how I’ve most consistently served my community. West Jefferson is a very athletic-minded community, like many rural communities, where football is the “end all be all.” We felt that it was important to have an option for students who weren’t interested in sports and to provide an opportunity to expand their experience while they’re still in high school.

“I think we need to relabel politics and have things be more about getting to the right place and not having it be so divisive ”

How She Defines Herself: I would define myself as a prosecutor. I think it’s unfortunate that in Ohio the prosecuting attorney position for county office, as well as for city prosecutors, is a political position and an elected position… A prosecutor’s job is to seek justice and party politics shouldn’t have anything to do with that. Beyond being a prosecutor, I would define myself as a community member, mother, wife, friend, and neighbor, but prosecuting attorney is probably my most exact title.

“It is rewarding to serve your community in a way that fits your skill set.”

Strength of Underestimation: Last year’s mock trial team was an all girls’ team. One nice thing about having a team of all young women… I felt they were underestimated because they were women. We would go to a competition and some older male judge would say “Oh, we have an all girls’ team!” Okay. But, as a result of that, I found that people really underestimated them…I think young women are underestimated. I had that same experience when I was a young attorney as well… The girls would go in knowing they were being underestimated and then do so incredibly well…I think because people underestimate [women], it gives you a secret weapon.

Accountability and Change

Image by Paige MacKinnon

AN INTERVIEW WITH REPRESENTATIVE MATTIE DAUGHTRY

BY PAIGE MACKINNON

“We all talk about 2016 being the year of the woman, but what we are about to walk into is the year of accountability on many different fronts.”

— Mattie Daughtry

Representative Mattie Daughtry has been my state representative for eight years and is now running for the District 24 seat on the Maine State Senate. Having met her before and having been her constituent for eight years, I knew that she was passionate, forward-thinking, and driven toward change, but after our interview, I know that she and many other legislators are ready to bring about change and that there is a lot of work that can be done outside of political office.

Accountability

One part of our conversation that really stood out was Mattie’s perspective on what the upcoming election will bring to the political landscape. Representative Daughtry said; 

“We all talk about 2016 being the year of the woman, but what we are about to walk into is the year of accountability on so many different fronts. I want to be able to go home and talk care of my child…I want to make sure I am able to live in my area with access to safe water, I want to make sure that I actually have a chance to survive in my neighborhood. Things are going to change.”

We see that now. Across the nation and the world, conversations around government’s accountability to its citizens and society’s accountability to the world more broadly are occurring. These conversations and the issues they are addressing, such as clean water rights, BIPOC rights and safety, healthcare, climate change, poverty, and education, are not new. However, many of these issues are gaining more attention as the pandemic tears down long-standing structures in our society, and this attention is bringing with it a call for politicians to take responsibility and enact real change. But what can we as citizens do, especially those who aren’t yet eligible to vote, to continue these conversations and ensure that those actions toward accountability are taken? 

The Impact of Young People

In her interview, Representative Daughtry emphasized that there are many changes that need to happen in the coming years and that young people can have an impact in the upcoming election and in the policies that are established in the following years both nationally and locally. In high school, she was involved in voter registration drives to ensure that her peers were voting when she could not. She recommends that the best way for students to make an impact is by being involved in whatever way they can like she did in High School when she organized voter registration drives. This could be working on voter turnout, canvassing and helping on campaigns both local and national, or organizing protests and teach-ins. 

She also encourages holding your representative accountable; Representative Daughtry herself looks at letters and input from the students she speaks to as a guide for her policymaking. Recently, she has seen a shift in student engagement toward very real issues as elementary classrooms discuss climate change and various youth movements gain momentum fighting for justice and equality across the United States. This increase in action is why she sees 2020 as the year of accountability. 

Who can be involved in politics? Everyone.

One of the more powerful and effective political actions you can take is running for office when you see a problem that is not being addressed. When I asked Representative Daughtry what advice she would give young women who are considering running for office, she said, “Just do it.” When she became a Maine legislator, she did not have a law degree, she was not over forty-five, and she did not have a picket fence and two and a half children. She did have conviction, passion, and an ability to listen, the three things she sees as what qualifies someone for office.

Her advice: think about what matters to you and what makes you passionate about your community and use that because “when it comes to policy, government impacts all of our lives at any age whether you’re just born or whether you’re retiring….and what you have to offer and what you have to say is important.”  Your age and your experience do not and cannot restrict your engagement in your local, state, and national politics.

Interviewing Margarita Guzman & Valerie Gomez

Photo via Town of West New York

BY: SARAH DECARO-RINCON, SUMMER COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

On July 31st, I had the pleasure of photographing and interviewing Commissioner Margarita Guzman and her nominee Valerie Gomez. I have had the privilege of knowing Commissioner Guzman since I was a sophomore at High Tech High School. Along with being a commissioner for the town of West New York, NJ, Margarita Guzman is also a Spanish teacher that goes out of her way to support & help her students. Before interviewing Commissioner Guzman, I knew that she was a kind, intelligent, & moral person. Our interview not only strengthened those views, but also showed me how much she cares about her community and constituents. 

Throughout the interview, Commissioner Guzman stressed the fact that being in politics is about serving your community, and doing what is best for your constituents. Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, Commissioner Guzman has helped to start a project that is feeding West New York, NJ. Commissioner Guzman, alongside others from the community, have been going door-to-door handing out bags of food to those in need. This is not the only way Ms. Guzman helps our community. Commissioner Guzman’s Special Place of Meaning was the park she helped rebuilt that has a gorgeous view of the New York Skyline. The park on 58th street and J.F.K. Boulevard East represents her first action as Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, and the New York Skyline, an open door for opportunities for all immigrants, including herself. 

Every year on International Women’s Day, Commissioner Guzman hosts a luncheon to support and applaud the strong women in our community. She invites business women, police officers, politicians, and even her students to show them all that they are truly valued. Commissioner Guzman does all she can to encourage and inspire other women to be involved in their communities & to take positions of power and leadership. A great example of this is Commissioner Guzman’s nominee, Valerie Gomez, who does an amazing job at taking leadership in our community. 

Valerie Gomez was born-and-raised in West New York, NJ and is a middle school math teacher in Brooklyn. The work that Valerie does for our community is noteworthy and inspiring. Ms. Gomez is the co-founder of Food for Us, an initiative/organization that gives food & resources to those in need all over Hudson County. One thing that Valerie emphasized was the importance of offering plant-based options, fresh fruits, & vegetables because they “believe in de-colonizing the diet. We realized that we have been fed a lot of the residue food that is just unhealthy for us. It’s what feed this cycle of heart problems, diabetes, all of these things we tend to see in communities of color.” The health of our community is at stake because of COVID-19, and Valerie is doing what she can to help our immune systems. 

Both Commissioner Margarita Guzman & Valerie Gomez are two very intelligent, proud, strong women of color who are improving our community with their leadership. Every step that they take to better the lives of the people around them is another step in inspiring more young women to try and take charge. I want to thank them again for taking the time out of their days to help Power in Place to continue to spread the message of female empowerment. 

Sarah DeCaro-Rincon is part of the Sarah Lawrence class of 2023 and her concentrations are Political Science and Pre-Law. Some of Sarah's passions are immigration reform and the rights of workers in the service industry (hotel, restaurant, etc.). Her favorite part about being a part of Power in Place is working with and hearing from strong, intelligent, inspiring women.

LISE OLNEY, WELLESLEY BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEMBER

Photograph by Damon Bates Photography.

BY: SOFIA HERNANDEZ PERILLA, SUMMER 2020 COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

“I was knocking on the door of the Board of Selectmen all the time to do things and I thought “well I guess I’ve gotta stop knocking on the door and just go into the room!””

My long term vision for Wellesley is that it become a place that is a leader in sustainability and carbon emission reduction and that we have a sort of community wide effort to build that model of a sustainable community. I don’t just mean from an environmental standpoint. Wellesley has a lot of work to do to become a more welcoming community, a more inclusive community and I think we can do that in the context of becoming a more sustainable community as well...so it’s kind of a green new deal for Wellesley.

An Advocate for the Voiceless

Photo by Facebook.

BY: JULIET SCHULMAN-HALL, SUMMER 2020 COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

Every phone call rang for what felt like an eternity, while she waited for someone to pick up and tell her the words she wanted to hear: her student was safe and cared for. 

Monica Martinez was a tenured assistant principal of a middle school, determined to fight for the children she looked after. One afternoon, she realized why one of her sixth graders refused to go home: her home lacked heat or food, and her mother worked two jobs and was often absent as a result. 

With the hopes of helping this child, Martinez called the Department of Social Services. She was left with stinging words in her ear, telling her that there was nothing they could do because she was merely a school administrator. 

It was at this moment she realized she needed to do more for the young people walking the halls of the middle school at which she worked every weekday. 

Martinez was elected as the New York State Senator for District 3 on January 9, 2019 [1]. Her first constituent case after she was elected involved a situation similar to what she had previously experienced with that sixth grader, involving a different child in the same middle school at which she had been an assistant principal. This child, like the last, had no heat at home. It took one phone call from State Senator Martinez to the Department of Social Services, and three hours later the family received oil and had heat in their home. 

She realized in that moment that she could help more people as a politician than she did as an administrator. 

For all of her life, State Senator Martinez has focused on helping women, animals, and those who are often marginalized and voiceless. 

Martinez became the first woman and first Latina to be elected a State Senator from District 3. She has found that politics can be a difficult profession but her family helps her cope and are there for her whenever she needs support. She tries not to take attacks personally, and continues to hold the belief that individuals who try to put her down have something else going on in their lives. Ultimately, Martinez emphasizes that adversity helps her become a stronger and more resilient person and politician. 

Upon taking office she found out that two bills intended to protect women had been stuck in the State Senate for years. The first proposed bill is Shannon’s Law, which requires health insurance to cover mammograms for women starting at age 35, rather than at age 40 or older. The second proposed bill makes it illegal to disseminate or publish sexually explicit images without that person’s consent. State Senator Martinez advocated for the two proposed bills, and ultimately was able to help pass both bills and enact them into law. Martinez prides herself on having been able to make a difference in the lives of other women through aiding the passage of these two bills. 

Martinez has also worked on bills to help the lives of animals—a topic that is rarely discussed in politics but is crucial to Martinez. According to the State Senator, animal welfare is linked to human welfare and needs to be discussed more. Martinez believes that those who commit crimes against animals are more likely to commit a crime against a human being. She concludes that stopping animal abuse and educating people about animal welfare is both a good in itself, and leads to a better society in which people act more humanely toward each other. 

Martinez is currently working on improving and providing more support to animal shelters across New York State. She hopes these efforts will result in the adoption of more animals into their “forever homes” and to discourage and ultimately eliminate unnecessary euthanization of adoptable pets. 

Martinez works for all of the people, but believes her mission is to advocate for those who are often overlooked both by society, and by most politicians. The legislation she drafts or advocates for, and her hard work as a NY State Senator presents, in her words, “an uphill battle right now.” But she continues these battles, because she believes that there is nothing which “can’t be done...everything is possible.” 

References

[1] “Monica Martinez.” Ballotpedia. Accessed August 10, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Monica_Martinez.

Juliet Schulman-Hall is a rising junior at Smith College majoring in English Language & Literature, minoring in Sociology, and concentrating in Poetry. At Smith, she is involved in Emulate Magazine, the club volleyball team, and the Sophian Newspaper. She is passionate about criminal justice reform and animal rights and advocacy and is the Communications Lead for an animal nonprofit called Global Strays. 

Power in Place Interviewees Up For Re-Election

Photo by Yes! Magazine.

BY: JULIET SCHULMAN-HALL, SUMMER 2020 COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

Power in Place has interviewed many influential politicians since its founding. Many of these politicians are up for re-election! Here are a few highlighted politicians:

When Power in Place last interviewed Tanya Cook, she was the Nebraska State Representative for District 13, a position she held from 2009 to 2017. She assumed office in 2019 as a member of the Metropolitan Utilities District Board of Directors, representing Subdivision 5 in Nebraska [1]. Tanya Cook is passionate about addressing intergenerational poverty. In office, she has focused on “quality public education, access to career education, removing barriers to working oneself towards stability, [and] home ownership” [2]. After advancing from the primary election on May 12, 2020, Cook is on the ballot for re-election to this position during the general election on November 3, 2020 [1].

Power in Place interviewed Rena Moran while she held the position of Minnesota State Representative for District 9. Since 2011, she has been a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 65A [3]. She has and continues to fight for healthcare access, eliminating racial disparities, criminal justice reform, strong public education, living wage jobs with benefits, and affordable housing [4]. Moran is running for re-election for this position and is on the ballot for the Democratic primary on August 11, 2020 [3].

Jessica Ramos is a member of the New York State Senate, representing District 13. She is running for re-election for this position and is on the ballot for the general election on November 3, 2020 [5]. Supported by Bernie Sanders, Ramos is running to help provide economic relief for people of color and low-income individuals who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 [6].

Tram Nguyen is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 18th Essex District. She is running for re-election for this position and is on the ballot for the Democratic primary on September 1, 2020 [7]. Among many key issues, Tram is running to keep the cost of housing in check, address the opioid crisis, advocate for environmental protection and climate resiliency, advance reproductive justice, and protect working families [8].

Sharon Tomiko Santos is a member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing District 37-Position 1. Santos is running for re-election to the Washington House of Representatives to represent District 37-Position 1 and is on the ballot for the primary election on August 4, 2020 [9]. Santos is passionate about “civil rights, women’s rights, economic and environmental justice, affordable housing, and quality public education” [10]. 

Ayanna Pressley is a United States Congresswoman, representing District 7 in Massachusetts. She is running for re-election to this position and is on the ballot for the Democratic primary on September 1, 2020 [11]. Throughout office, Pressley has advocated for low-wage workers, immigrant communities, supported sexual assault survivors, promoted the restructuring of our criminal legal system, and is dedicated to continuing these fights [12]. 

When Power in Place interviewed Andrea Stewart-Cousins, she was the New York State Speaker. Since 2007, she has assumed the role of a New York State Senator, representing District 35. She is running for re-election for this position and is on the ballot for the general election on November 3, 2020 [13]. Stewart-Cousins has been a proponent of legislation relating to gun safety, voting reform, women’s rights and healthcare, immigration and DREAMers, among others [14]. She hopes to continue to fight for these issues in office.  

Nicole Malliotakis is a New York State Assembly member, representing District 64. She is running for election for a new role, to the United States House to represent New York’s 11th Congressional District. She is on the ballot for the general election on November 3, 2020 [15]. In office, Malliotakis fought to drain the swamp in Albany, rein-in high taxes, and advocated for more legislative transparency [16]. 

Donzella James is a Georgia State Senator, representing District 35. She is running for re-election for this position and is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2020 [17]. James has brought about “progressive change” while in office, fighting for crime reduction, the environment, stronger drunk driving and drug trafficking laws, economic development, affordable healthcare, and quality education [18].

When Power in Place interviewed Lois Frankel, she was a United States Congresswoman for District 22 in Florida. She is running for re-election and is on the ballot for the Democratic primary on August 18, 2020 [19]. Frankel is noted to be “a loud voice and leading voice” and a defender of “racial injustice, human rights and women’s reproductive freedom” [20]. 

Remember that it is essential to vote and stay up to date on whom you are voting for! We hope that you will consider supporting some of the amazing female politicians listed above.

References

[1] “Tanya Cook.” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Tanya_Cook. 

[2] “POLITICIAN STORIES.” Power In Place. Accessed July 30, 2020. http://www.powerinplaceproject.com/stories.

[3] “Rena Moran,” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Rena_Moran.

[4] “RENA'S VISION.” Vote Rena Moran. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://www.renaforrep.org/rena-s-vision. 

[5] “Jessica Ramos,” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Jessica_Ramos.

[6] “Jessica Ramos.” Bernie Sanders Official Website. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://berniesanders.com/get-involved/jessica-ramos/.

[7] “Tram Nguyen.” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Tram_Nguyen.

[8] “MEET TRAM.” Tram Nguyen. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://www.votetram.com/meet-tram.

[9] “Sharon Tomiko Santos.” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Sharon_Tomiko_Santos.

[10] “Biography.” Washington State House Democrats. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://housedemocrats.wa.gov/santos/biography/. 

[11] “Ayanna Pressley.” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Ayanna_Pressley. 

[12] “Meet Ayanna.” Ayanna Pressley for Congress, January 9, 2020. https://ayannapressley.com/about/. 

[13] “Andrea Stewart-Cousins.” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Andrea_Stewart-Cousins. 

[14] “About Andrea Stewart-Cousins.” NY State Senate. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/andrea-stewart-cousins/about. 

[15] “Nicole Malliotakis.” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Nicole_Malliotakis. 

[16] Nicole, Team. “Meet Nicole.” Nicole Malliotakis for Congress. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://nicolemalliotakis.com/meet-nicole/. 

[17] “Donzella James.” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Donzella_James. 

[18] Member. Accessed July 30, 2020. http://www.senate.ga.gov/senators/en-US/member.aspx?Member=372. 

[19] “Lois Frankel.” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Lois_Frankel. 

[20] “About Lois.” Lois Frankel. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://loisfrankelforcongress.com/about/. 

Juliet Schulman-Hall is a rising junior at Smith College majoring in English Language & Literature, minoring in Sociology, and concentrating in Poetry. At Smith, she is involved in Emulate Magazine, the club volleyball team, and the Sophian Newspaper. She is passionate about criminal justice reform and animal rights and advocacy and is the Communications Lead for an animal nonprofit called Global Strays. 

Historically Women’s College Graduates in Office

Photo of Senator Tammy Baldwin via The City Pages.

BY: SOPHIA CASTEN, SUMMER 2020 COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

Historically Women's College (HWC) graduates and current students have longed for equal representation for gender minorities in all facets of professional life. Specifically, representation  of women and other gender minorities in politics is dear to the hearts of many HWC attendees and alums as the United States becomes increasingly political.  In 2016, Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton brought attention to the Historically Women’s College education as a proud Wellesley College graduate. 

Before Clinton’s time in office, many other HWC graduates graced the political world with their poise, worldliness, and passion for intersectional women’s rights. The first woman to become Secretary of State, before Clinton, was Madeleine Albright. Albright also graduated from Wellesley in 1959 and truly set the stage for women in Cabinet-level positions to come. Some other notable HWC graduates in office include, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Smith College Class of 1984. She became the first openly gay senator in 2013 and continues to fight for women’s rights within the LGBTQ+ community. Senator Baldwin is still proud to be involved in the lives of Smith College students and often works with them in her D.C. and Wisconsin offices. 

Coming from my home state of Arizona, former Representative Gabrielle Giffords (Scripps College Class of 1993), became a beacon of hope, light, and strength when she survived an assisnation attempt in 2012. Just two years after the near-fatal shooting, Giffords became a gun control activist with a focus on women’s rights. She repeatedly advocates for decreasing gun violence because as she told The Atlantic, “gun violence is a women’s issue.” [1] Representative Giffords’ story is one of the many reasons I focused on applying to HWCs during the end of my high school career. 

Like many other women and gender minorities, I was terrified after the 2016 election. I feared for what was to come for all women and gender minorities. I thought back to the strength of Representative Giffords, Senator Baldwin, and Hillary Clinton. I also thought back to the women of color who graduated from HWCs, such as Elaine Cho, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Ruth Davis, whose legacies were seemingly obsolete after the election of Donald Trump. I was motivated to keep the legacies of HWC graduates alive and be a part of a network that continues to make history in the face of adversity. 

References 

[1] Westcott, Lucy. “Gabby Giffords Says Gun Violence Is a Women's Issue.” The Atlantic. 16 June 2014. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/06/gabby-giffords-calls-gun-violence-a-womens-issue/372876/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share 

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Sophia Casten is a rising junior at Smith College majoring in Government with a certificate in Reproductive Health Rights and Justice. Sophia is a yoga teacher and a Community Health Organizer at the Smith College Wellness Center and is committed to spreading inclusive wellness practices. Some of her interests include reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights advocacy, and public policy reform.

Finding Your Purpose, Changing the World

Photograph by Katrina Hajagos.

BY: ELLIE BROEREN, SUMMER 2020 COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

“It’s important to be honest with yourself and the people around you about what you need to do to feel like you’re maximizing your potential and to really work hard to figure that out.”

-Dr. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward

In this historical moment, with racial injustice flourishing and COVID-19 rates spiking, focuses have shifted from the individual to the community. How can we help the majority of people in a community? Sometimes, focusing on your individual strengths is the best way to help others.

One of the most profound moments of my high school career was an off-hand comment by my 10th grade English teacher. While talking about how unhappy her husband was with his job at a plastics factory, she told us that we would never be happy in a job where we are not helping people. I have just finished my sophomore year of college and that comment still resonates in my head today. It solidified something I had known for a while—I am going to be a doctor and use my skills to help other people. 

So when I was tasked with analyzing the interview of Oregon State Senator Dr. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, I was ecstatic. I could not wait to hear about her journey as both a physician and politician. Towards the end of the interview, Dr. Steiner Hayward was asked what she has learned from the lives of her mother and mother’s mother. Her response struck a familiar chord within me. She stated: “When I think about the meaning of life, I think it’s about figuring out what gifts you’ve been given, . . . and how you use that to make the world a better place”. 

Dr. Steiner Hayward has clearly found her gifts and is putting them to great use. She says she knew she was going to be a doctor as early as 4 years old. As a medical student and practicing physician, she was always involved in organized medicine, which works to help patients. And as she progressed in her career, she realized that if she was going to make Oregon the healthiest state in the nation, she also needed to advocate for education, transportation, and the many other factors that contribute to the health and wellbeing of a community. From establishing Oregon’s Coordinated Care Organization systems to more efficiently deliver healthcare to working to raise the legal tobacco purchase age to 21, Dr. Steiner Hayward has worked tirelessly towards this objective as a state legislator.  

Hearing this advice, and her story ignited a flame within me that has existed for a while; this flame has been dimmed recently by uninspiring classes, family illness, and a disrupting global pandemic. However, this flame is my gift; my way to give back to the world is to become an OB/GYN and fight to change how women’s health is handled. To take women’s pain seriously and to advocate for more (ethical) research on the female body and especially to fight to lower the absurdly high maternal mortality rate for women of color, specifically Black women. Dr. Steiner Hayward’s interview has inspired me to keep fighting for this dream, even when life gets tough and messy, and I believe it will inspire other women to discover their gifts and make the differences the world has been waiting for.  

Ellie Broeren is a rising junior at Middlebury College, majoring in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and minoring in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies. She is passionate about women’s health, reproductive justice, and sex-positive education. In the future she plans to be an OB/GYN and will work to improve women's health for all.