The last few weeks have no doubt felt like a heartbreaking gut punch for many of us.
I keep asking myself how NWPC-WA should speak to its members and others during this time of uncertainty, and strange, quiet unrest. I’ve been doing a lot of reading, a lot of analyzing, and a lot of questioning. I’ve been doing a lot of planning and a lot of Parks and Recreation watching (Leslie Knope is a magic cure for the blues, as are Girl Scout cookies.)
But the most important thing I’ve done over the last two weeks is think about successes—and how we are playing a long, sometimes hard, game.
In 2015, a historic election in Yakima brought the first female majority in the City Council’s history. In 2016, we helped usher in a diverse, majority-women city council in Seattle. In 2017, we celebrated that our two endorsed candidates for Everett Mayor made it through the primary, leading to the first woman mayor in the City’s 124-year history. That year we also helped make history with the largest political march ever recorded. In 2019, our three endorsed candidates for Snohomish County Council received the highest number of democratic primary votes among seven candidates, and slowly but surely, we are shifting the balance of their historically majority-male council. We also supported Washington’s first woman and first openly gay Speaker of the State House. We are making huge, important progress.
These elected womxn have brought—and are bringing—policies and changes that reflect the needs, concerns and priorities of those who have been left out of decision-making for far too long.
Every day and every year we push. We move the needle. We make gains. We change how the world looks, who is at the table, and who is in charge.
The President of the United States was unfortunately not Victoria Woodhull in 1872, or Shirley Chisholm or Patsy Mink in 1972. It was not Hillary Clinton in 2008 or 2016, and it will not be Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Marianne Williamson or even Tulsi Gabbard in 2020.
But this we know—the next President of the United States is being elected, by you, right now – to city council, to county council, to school board, to state house and senate, and to Congress. Your work, your passion, your support – it’s not for nothing. It’s everything. And it is making a difference so that one day soon, the best woman will indeed win.
Emily Wicks-Day
President, NWPC-WA
 |
Continue to Push for Womxn: Candidate TrainingsNWPC-WA’s popular womxn candidate and campaign trainings start this month. DONATE HERE to sponsor a future candidate or campaign manager or advertise your business. Details and registration information can be found by visiting our events page at www.nwpcwa.org/events, or contact NWPC-WA Training and Education Chair, Christina Pedersen at [email protected]: Note: We are closely monitoring public health recommendations in Washington and will let all participants know of changes to location or online status. |
 |
Continue to Push for Women: EndorsementsAre you a pro-choice woman running for public office – anything from local school board to Congress? If so, NWPC-WA wants to help you succeed by endorsing you and supporting your campaign! To qualify for the Caucus’s endorsement, candidates must identify as women or non-binary. They must demonstrate support for equal rights, reproductive freedom, and social equity and justice for womxn. In addition, they must have a competitive campaign plan. Our early endorsement process has begun, and our questionnaires are live and are available HERE. For more information about our endorsement process, please email [email protected] and be sure to include the position you are running for and the jurisdiction it represents. |