Friday, June 13, 2008

Add Women, Change Everything


Over at The Chief Source blog, Anne wrote a post titled A Remarkable Moment in Time about an event I attended last weekend. Over 100 women gathered from all across the state of Ohio for GO RUN LEAD training camp. Our goal: to train and prepare women to run for elected office. During the event, we gathered together an watched Hillary Rodham Clinton's concession speech on CNN with White House Project founder and women's rights icon Marie Wilson.

The Kleenex corporation should have sponsored the event because by the time it was over there was not a dry eye in the house.

Wilson also wrote about the event on The Huffington Post and Nicholas Kristoff wrote a fine commentary piece on the subject for The New York Times. I recomend you read them both.

As I sat there in that room across from Wilson during that historic moment, I wondered what she was thinking. I scanned the gathering of women, knowing they were all here with dreams of someday being elected and having a voice in our communities.
(Pictured above: political bloggers Jill Zimon of WRITE LIKE SHE TALKS and Annie of The Chief Source.)
I listened to Senator Clinton's heartfelt words, and did not cry...until the camera panned to her daughter.

It struck a deep personal chord.

When I lost my election in April, my daughter looked at me with those same eyes: a mixture of sadness, compassion, admiration and hope.

I knew then, my daughter would grow up strong and proud because of the example I provided. I knew for her it would be a perfectly normal idea to have a woman president, a congress filled diversity, and a corporate world with moms in the boardroom.


Later that evening, Marie summed it all up perfectly during her keynote address. The graduates of OHIO GO RUN political training jumped to their feet at cheered when she claimed:

"People are asking what will happen next, now that Hillary is no longer in the race. Well I think we have the answer right here in this room."



THE WHITE HOUSE PROJECT: Add Women, Change Everything.


6 comments:

Jill said...

So awesome, you!! Thank you for everything - you are the BEST pep talk talker I know. :)

Don't I owe you something!? lol oy

Ellie Van Houtte said...

Thank You Kelley for providing such a thourough synopsis of our WHP Training so that more women will get involved in the program. See you next Tuesday.

Kel-Bell said...

On to the steps of The Statehouse we go!

See you there, and dont forget to wear white, or wear your WHP t-shirt.

Angeline Rose Larimer said...

You're awesome.

CrackerLilo said...

I'm grateful for this. I know you have more left in you. I know HRC won't be the last.

She and Michelle Obama will probably have *lots* to talk about eventually, especially if she becomes first lady.

Kel-Bell said...

You've got that right Cracker!

Oh to be a fly on the wall for such a conversation...