See Jane Do...

The Truth about Women in Politics

Meeting Marie Wilson, founder and president of The White House Project was a life-changing experience.  My general assumption was that women had made progress over the last ten years and that America would rank fairly high amongst other progressive nations in regards to female elected representation.  I was shocked to discover that women represent only 17% of the elected officials in the United State and those numbers haven't changed in ten years!  The United States actually ranks at 71% in the world when it comes to women serving in politics.

Of all the stories See Jane Do has covered this one has become a personal passion.  Balanced leadership is necessary if we truly want to create a country that supports the essential needs of women, men and families.  See Jane Do has taken measures to bring awareness and action to this issue by sharing the stories of women like Kristy Pagan, a White House Project graduate who plans to run for office, Joan Blades co-founder of MoveOn.org and MomsRising.org and Passion into Action Keynote speakers, Linda Tarr-Whelan, former UN ambassador for the Status of Women and author/activist Gloria Feldt.

Our mission, to capture the stories of everyday women who are taking the lead continues as we travel to New York City to partner with The White House Project at their 2010 EPIC Awards.  In order to match their funds we are hosting a benefit to support the enhancement of women in American culture. 

We are honored that Vice-Mayor Christina Billeci (running for California State Assembly against Dan Logue), Councilwoman Sally Harris, and Mayor Reinette Senumare participating in our next Soiree into Action.  

Enjoy wine, music, a silent auction and meet local representatives this Thursday, March 25th, 2010 at the Nevada City Winery from 5:30-7:30 PM. 

Top Twelve See Jane Do Stories of Extraordinary Women in 2009

"May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future"

In 2009 See Jane Do connected with everyday women who are fulfilling their dreams to create a better future for the planet and generations to come.  Despite a year of transition and change the women we met are consistent with their message; to persevere, to have hope, to connect with others, and to follow your passion.  

With over one hundred women we interviewed this year, we've shared our top twelve stories of everyday women who are doing extraordinary things for the planet and the lessons we learned from each of them.  We look forward to more stories and inspired action in 2010!

1.  Millions of people can come together peacefully to create change.

The See Jane Do team attended President Obama's inauguration and the Peace Ball in Washington D.C.  We also interviewed incredible women at the SYRCL's Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival

Extraordinary Jane's:  Woman's National Democratic Club, Multi-Racial book club, Rachel Barge of Campus in Power, Emma's Revolution, plus interviews with teachers, mothers, musicians, veterans, teen agers, soldiers, students, business owners, activists, and other concerned Americans.

2.  Renewing our relationship with food can also renew our community.

Extraordinary Jane's:  Wendy Van Wagner of In the Kitchen, Jo McProud of Riverhill Farm

3.  Sharing our stories can link generations and inspire a movement.

See Jane Do participated in Gather the Women's International Women's Day event.

Extraordinary Jane's:  Gather the Women and Jean Shinoda Bolen

4.  When you operate through your heart and passion, positive change is possible and others will join you.

Extraordinary Jane's:  Goldman Environmental Prize winners (four of which were women), Green Moms Carnival, Mable Yee, founder of Engage Her, Gloria Steinem  and Amy Goodman.

5.  I will not raise my child to kill another mother's child.

See Jane Do was invited to cover CODEPINK's annual mother's day peace event in Washington D.C.

Extraordinary Jane's: Medea Benjamin, Colonel Ann Wright, Iraq War Veteran and mother, Lindsey Cambpell, Women for Women Director in Afghanistan, Sweeta Nori, mother of Iraq Soldier, Cynthia Benjamin, Jodie Evans, actress and activist, Mimi Kennedy and many other incredible women.

6.  Our planet, our life, our health, our children are worth more than gold and coal.

See Jane Do features women who are taking planet earth off the market.  

Extraordinary Jane's:  Maria Gunnoe and Judy Bonds fighting Mountain Top Removal.  Lydia Olympic, tribal council member fighting open pit gold mining and preserving the largest salmon run.

7.  You're one click away from changing policy, sharing your story and connecting with community. 

See Jane Do attends BlogHer and features the pioneers of the online revolution.

Extraordinary Jane's:  BlogHer founders and Joan Blades, co-founder of MoveOn.org and MomsRising.org.

8.  The traditions of the past will support us in the future.  

Grandma Jane is rockin the world!   Standing up for conservation and peace these grandmothers are taking on multi-billion corporations to protect their health, the planet and their grandchildren.

Extraordinary Jane's:  Grandmothers for Peace, Alla Ivanovna Gafner and other participants of Pacific Environment.

9. We need to challenge assumptions that just because something has been done for many years (traditional school lunches), doesn't make it right.  One person has the power to create an impact (and kids love brown rice). 

We revisit school lunches that kids actually line up for and how the Slow Food movement can help.

Extraordinary Jane's:  Renegade Lunch Lady, Chef Ann Cooper, Aimee Retzler, Tania Carlone, and Erika Lesser, Director of Slow Food USA.

10.  With our purchase power we can change the world.

We featured women who are making the planet less trashy with less plastic.

Extraordinary Jane's:  Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish, activist and artist, Kathleen Egan, and educator Anna Cummins of Agalita.

11.  I want you to run for office!  Women might make up half the work force and half the population but we still don't have balanced leadership in the United States.

The United States is a long way from balanced leadership but we're half way to reaching the tipping point (30% representation is needed).  Numerous organizations have formed to train women to take the lead and run.

Extraordinary Jane's:  Marie Wilson, president and founder of The White House Project, Kristine Pagan, White House Project alumni and aspiring candidate, Mayor Reinette Senum, and Gloria Feldt, author, activist, and former CEO of Planned Parenthood.

12.  In order to have a healthy planet we must have healthy people.  

Women are taking their health into their own hands and putting the hope in healthcare.

Extraordinary Jane's:  Kim Robinson and Eileen Schnitger of Women's Health Specialists

Training Women to Take the Lead and Run

We still want you to run for office!  See Jane Do's part II episode of Training Women to Take the Lead and Run will air tomorrow, November 24th from 12:00-1:00 PM KVMR, 89.5 or www.KVMR.org. 

According to Linda Tarr-Whelan author and former Ambassador to the  United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, we can create a tipping point towards balanced leadership in the United States political system with women taking on 30% of elected representation. That means we're about half way there.

Who will do their part to fill that void?  It's everyday women just like you and me.  But you're not expected to do this on your own. A handful of organizations such as the White House Project are pitching in to train and support women towards taking a greater role in leadership.

The White House Project is a nonpartisan organization that has trained over 6,000 women to lead from their communities all the way to the White House.  They even worked with Oprah last year in training women to lead the way.  We speak with White House Project founder Marie Wilson, staff and trainees about their recent success.

Also featured is political activist, media commentator, and best selling author, Gloria Feldt.  Gloria has been named one of the top 200 women leaders and trailblazers by Vanity Fair Magazine.  She is also one the keynote speakers at the upcoming See Jane Do Passion into Action Conference.

 
Mayor Reinette Senum and political leader Kristy Pagan share their personal stories and triumphs in living a political life. 

 

Perhaps you've never considered running.  This program just might change your mind or at least encourage you to tap your friend on the shoulder and ask them to run instead. 

Please continue to share your stories with us at [email protected]

Elisa

Training Women to Take the Lead and Run

Kristy Pagan is an everyday woman living in Washington D.C.  While growing up in Plymouth, MI, she wasn’t raised to lead a political life nor was she encouraged to get involved in politics, but early on Kristy felt the call of public service. 

After starting a women’s leadership group, that grew to become the largest organization on her college campus, she participated in the White House Project training. The White House Project is a nonpartisan organization that aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors, up to the U.S. presidency. 

Kristy knows the statistics of women in political office right now are very low.  Even though women make up 51% of the population, only 16% of Congress and 18% of State Governors are women.  Kristy is working to change that by training high school students to become political leaders.  She also has her eye on running for office in the very near future.   

What are you working on in Washington D.C.?
I'm working on political leadership and engaging young women in the political process. I worked for Senator Debbie Stabenow for two and a half years and recently made a career move to focus on leadership programs. I currently work for the Congressional Youth Leadership Council and train high school students to be political leaders.

Have you always been interested in politics?
I never realized that being a public official was an option for me. No one told me that I could run for office and serve in an elected position. I think from a very young age we're not encouraged to be leaders, to speak our mind and give our opinion. I grew up in an a-political family. I vaguely remember my parents voting.

Are you going to run for political office in the future?
Yes, I'm 100% committed that I will run for political office as a state legislator in my home state of Michigan.

Has someone approached you to run?
I met Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky at a political leadership conference for women. The first thing she asked us was to raise our hand if we plan on running for political office. No one raised their hand. She said, “The number one reason women don't run is because they are not asked to run for office.”  She said, “I'm standing here before you and I'm asking you to run.”

Tell us about the training you received to run for office?
The White House Project teaches young women to know their story and communicate their story through their own value system. They integrate this with the specific skills that women need to be successful candidates and public servants. I have never paid for my training with the White House Project. They want this training to be available to all women.

How are women working together in the political system?
Senator Debbie Stabenow is one of sixteen women senators. Seeing the bond between those women in the Senate was an amazing opportunity for me to witness. For example, the female Senators make the time to have dinner with one another every month. This includes both Republicans and Democrats and they pledge not to talk about politics.

Why is it so important for everyday women to be involved and participate in the political process?
Every woman is unique and we all bring our own story. The more everyday women tell their story, especially the working moms and single moms who aren't directly connected to our political system, the more our elected officials will understand that the decisions they are making are effecting everyone. I'd like to see our elected representation reflect the community they are serving. If there are 50% women in the population, there should be 50% women in our government.

What is your message to women around the world?
Get involved, whether that be running for political office or volunteering at your local community center. Our future is dependent on how many people step up and get involved.

Get Involved!  5 things you can do today to ensure equal representation.

1.  Ask and encourage a female friend to run for office.
2.  Your voice counts!  Share your story with your elected representative or submit an editorial to your local paper.

3.  Support programs like the White House Project that train women to run and take the lead.
4.  Volunteer in your community.
5.  Consider running for office!