Messages from IGNITE’s Young Women Vote Summit

BY: Bella Levavi, SUMMER 2020 COLLABORATOR AT POWER IN PLACE

On Monday, June 22, the organization IGNITE  put together a three-hour summit to get the nonpartisan message out that the younger generation, if they take it,  has the power to shift the electorate by mobilizing and voting in mass numbers. They made their point through panels, speakers, Q and A sessions,  infographics, and social media campaigns that Generation Z has the numbers to make a difference. 

IGNITE  is an organization focused on creating a generation of politically active women who have on the ground experience of political organizing to eventually be ready to run for office in the future. Its goal is to take the male domination out of politics and to give women the confidence to chase public office. The organization creates programming for women as young as kindergarten up until college age. This year IGNITE  organized mobilization campaigns for the 2020 election, and made this summit in tandem with that program. 

The summit started with Indiana’s Republican Congresswoman Susan Brooks giving a keynote address. Brooks stressed the importance of voting as well as registering to vote. She said that many campaigns focus on registering voters, which is important but taking the step to go to polls on voting day is crucial. Brooks suggested that young people should get to know their representatives, especially on a local level, and let them know about the issues they care about. 

There was then a brief interlude where IGNITE  fellows asked the audience to call our representatives to speak our opinions about the bill S.1540, the Election Security Act of 2019. This act would work to correct complications in the 2016 election to ensure a more free and fair election in the future.

Next was a panel filled with BIPOC women who spoke about their experience running for local office. Christina Haswood, a Candidate for Kansas House District 10, told stories about how she was often the only indigenous person and only women at political meetings. She grew up in Section eight housing and relied on other social services and felt that gave her qualification to make decisions about such services, despite her young age of 26. Mya Whitaker, a Former Oakland City Council member, spoke about the importance of knowing your audience when running for office. She said that you have to explain your stances simply to be accessible to all.  Karla Garcia, Dallas ISD District 4 Trustee, spoke about talking to people about the issues they care about. In her campaign, she would ask people what they wanted to see changed and would tell them about how their desires worked into her platform. These three women shaped an inspiring narrative of what you need to gain the confidence to run for office and how anyone can run a winning campaign. 

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, of my home state Illinois,  then gave a Q and A. She spoke about how people think November is just a presidential race, but she stressed that everything is on the ballot for this election. Not only will this ballot contain elections for many different seats according to where you live, but this election will dictate the outcomes for issues you care about most. She said that while names will be on the ballot, climate change, gun violence, and police brutality are all on the ballot as well. She said to get to know the issues you care about and speak to the people running now to get them to enact these policies 

Next was a workshop explaining how to run Instagram and Facebook campaigns for people running for office effectively. This workshop gave instructions that can be applied directly to real work in the field. The workshop gave tips on how to set up social media accounts and how many posts a day to get the most clicks and views.

Valerie Jarret then gave a talk on how the civil rights movement was a long and slow process. She emphasized the excitement of the Black Lives Matter movement right now, but explained people need to vote and organize for a long time for there to be structural change. 

The summit closed with actress Francesca Reale and founder of Space to Speak Maya Siegel, both under 25, speaking about the power they have in their social media to educate young people. They both have social media platforms that they use to get other young people passionate about social change. 

The summit was a good mix of tangible information filled actions young individuals can perform and information about larger ideas that involve getting out the vote and what women have to go through to be in elected office. The summit gave me additional perspectives of what all the women on the Power in Place website have to go through to be in the positions they are in today. My biggest takeaway is that running a campaign and getting out the vote is no easy task and takes a lot of time and effort, but a change in politics, even at the local level, is a change worth fighting for.

---

Bella Levavi is a rising junior at Smith College majoring in Government and English. She is involved in Smith's newspaper the Sophian and the college radio station. She is passionate about vegetarian co-ops, writing, and social justice

The Grand Canyon State

Arizona is one of my favorite states in the nation.  I have many fond memories of descending into the Grand Canyon and hiking the mountains around Tucson.  It is a place of exquisite light and indelible imagery—the painted desert, the saguaro cactuses, the unique flora and fauna.  Arizona also claimed a piece of women’s political history in 1999 when it appointed 5 women to top executive offices (Governor Jane Hull, Secretary of State Betsey Bayless, Attorney General Janet Napolitano, Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Graham-Keegan, and Treasurer Carol Springer).  The “Fab Five,” as they were known, accompanied the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor, into the history books. 

Many of these remarkable women started their careers in the Arizona State legislature, so it was only fitting that the first Arizona PiP subject was State Representative Victoria Steele.  I took her portrait encircled by the Santa Catalina Mountains of her Tucson district.  

As she put it, “The exquisitely beautiful Santa Catalina Mountains overlooking Tucson have always been a source of inspiration and power to me.  When I need to balance the strong and steady nurturing power of Mother Earth with the hectic pace of being a Legislator, I escape to these mountains with my little power puppy Moki.  From the Catalina Mountains I can see my entire legislative district—my heart fills with love and I can return to this work that I am so honored to do.”

And as it turned out, the portrait coincided with an emotional time for Victoria during which she needed the nurturing powers of the mountains.  Two weeks before, she courageously testified against the proposed Arizona State Bill—SB 1318.  This bill would make it mandatory for sexually assaulted women seeking an abortion to disclose their experience to their insurances companies in order to be financially covered for the procedure.  Victoria stood up in a hearing and unexpectedly revealed her own highly personal and traumatic story about sexual assault, offering an intimate perspective on how this law might effect women.

That evening, I headed back to Phoenix right away since I had a 7am appointment the next morning with Congresswomen Kyrsten Sinema at the bottom of a climb to Piestewa Peak.  Knowing that the congresswoman is an accomplished athlete, I wondered whether I would be able to keep up with her—Kyrsten has completed  an ironman triathalon and has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Fortunately there were others on the climb who kept the pace from becoming too punishing.

Having climbed Piestewa Peak countless times, Kyrsten could have done it with her eyes closed.  She enthusiastically pointed out all the various Phoenix landmarks in the panoramic view.  When we reached the peak, I understood why this ambitious woman is able to bring such energy to her political achievements.  It was all there in her unflagging athleticism.

Later that day, I met  the Mayor of Surprise at a dance studio.  For Sharon Wolcott, practicing ballroom dancing provides a necessary respite from her busy life as a mayor.  A number of years ago, she underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor, which left her deaf in one ear and compromised her sense of balance.

When Sharon began learning how to dance, she told her partner, Nick, “whatever you do, don't let go!”  She was terrifying of falling down.  Not only did Sharon master her personal health challenge, but she went on to compete professionally in ballroom dancing, garnering at least one gold metal in her division.  Watching Sharon, I was struck by her confidence and graceful movement.  She is a true inspiration, proving that one can overcome a health challenge with dedication and hard work.  I’m sure the community she serves is grateful for her strength and triumph.

Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick has the honor of representing 12 distinctive native tribes in her district.  Growing up alongside White Mountain Apache Nation (her mom was a schoolteacher and her dad owned a general store), she has a deep connection to the  spirit and culture of Native peoples.  So it was only appropriate that she chose Heard Museum as her place of special meaning.  Their extensive native art collection focuses on telling the stories and personal histories of Native people through artistic expressions.

Ann was wearing casual jeans, her trademark cowboy boots, and a beautiful Native American turquoise necklace—taken together, an apt representation of her diverse constituency.  The congresswoman is a delightful and generous person.  Her warm inviting smile bespeaks of her reputation as an authentic voice for her community.  It’s no wonder she has earned the respect and trust of her district, which includes conservative ranchers, Native Americans, and more liberal-minded voters from the Flagstaff region.  It was a wonderful finale to another very successful PiP adventure in the Grand Canyon State!