My fellow Young Democrats -

Happy Women’s History Month!

Obviously, March should not be the only time we celebrate, but it is a great time to uplift the women around us for the truly powerful impacts they have on the world.

Not to be too cliché and sappy here, but I would not be the person I am today without strong women. From my grandmother who was a public school teacher and a member of the Ohio Education Association to my grandmother who worked tirelessly so that there was equitable access to healthcare in Columbia, MD to my mother who has dedicated her life to serving the public as a government employee. These powerful women and others in my life taught and continue to teach me to be a strong, rational, and empathetic person.

I continue to be surrounded by this same powerful presence of women every single day in our political world. First and foremost, watching the first woman to be sworn into the White House in January was nothing short of breathtaking. Kamala Harris becoming Vice President was another step in a long path towards true equality but, unfortunately, a continued ongoing struggle. Not only that, but we have two incredible millennial women serving us right here in Arlington County, County Board Vice Chair Katie Cristol and School Board Member Cristina Diaz-Torres, which I think is incredibly important representation not only for Arlington but especially for the Arlington Young Democrats.

Our movements would not be as strong as they are if it weren’t for the strong women that led them. For instance, take a look at the movements that are currently taking place and the ones that just recently came about in the past few years. Virginia was just recently the final state needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment after decades of fighting for it. We have a record number of women that are currently in the House of Representatives and a record number of women in the VIRGINIA House of Delegates as well. Activists have been working tirelessly for decades, but the 2017 Women’s March in particular served as a catalyst for progressive change that was desperately needed in our country.

Just here in Arlington, a group of women led and created a platform for education on justice issues with Arlington for Justice including former Young Democrats of America President and DNC Representative Atima Omara, that has helped push the Movement for Black Lives forward last year with a 600 person march through the county which was started and led by Yolande Kwinana. Two Arlington women, Michelle Woolley and Northern Virginia Labor Federation President Virginia Diamond, in particular have also led the way on repealing our Jim Crow Era “Right to Work” laws by creating a statewide coalition. One of our own past presidents, Jamie Lockhart, is now leading the fight for reproductive justice as the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia. Our own county committee is led by two brilliant women, Chair Jill Caiazzo and Deputy Chair Maggie Davis, and the 8th Congressional District Committee is chaired by Margo Horner who has dedicated her entire life from Teen Dems to her current position to the Democratic Party. I could go on and on and on.

Throughout history, women led the way on progressive, meaningful change. But those of us who are allies cannot be complacent and just stand by, otherwise we will be complicit in the continued barriers that women face every day. We have a chance to deliver on a lot of these issues that affect women and many others, like:

1. Paid Family Leave - People who are working should not have to choose between their paycheck and being able to take care of their family’s health.

2. Insuring Reproductive Care - Reproductive care is health care. Abortion is health care. It should be fully covered by health insurance as such for every individual that needs it (cis women aren’t the only ones with uteruses after all).

3. Ending the Rise in Maternal Mortality - Maternal mortality rates in the United States are the highest in the world for American mothers, especially Black mothers. We need to make sure that everyone has quality health care, not just access, to make sure this epidemic does not continue.

4. Closing the Gender Wage Gap - Every worker should be paid what they are worth, no matter their gender identity. We can and should allow for collective bargaining rights in order to quickly achieve this.

5. Eradicating Period Poverty - All feminine hygiene products should be affordable for every individual who needs them and we should be able to subsidize the cost for those who are in desperate need of financial assistance.

6. Protecting Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence - Our criminal justice system has not been kind to our survivors and we have to do better. There is a massive rape kit back log nationally that must be dealt with so these survivors can get their day in court. Additionally, this pandemic has been incredibly dangerous for victims of domestic violence and we need to provide the necessary, safe exit strategies for them as well.

7. Protecting Trans Women from Hate Crimes - Trans Women, especially Black Trans Women, are more likely to be victims of fatal sexual violence and hate crimes than any other demographic. Luckily in Virginia, Delegate Danica Roem passed a bill to eliminate the “LGBTQ+ Panic Defense” in crimes of this nature, but we still must work to end this epidemic of violence against Trans Women.

8. Giving More Women a Seat at the Table - A statistic states that it takes about one time to ask a man to run for office for him to commit and takes those who don’t identify as men upwards of 10 times to be asked for them to commit. What we have to realize is that a large number of our greatest leaders in history have been women, but they have had to fight a lot of adversity to get there. Rather than just creating space, we should be intentional about pushing and motivating these women to be those leaders.

I am proud of the women that I serve with on our board here at AYD and in other organizations. It is clear, however, that there is so much more work to be done to uplift and help women everywhere. I will do my best to always pass the mic whenever I am able to those in leadership positions who identify as women.

Finally, I will leave you with this. This past Monday, International Women’s Day, I read a comment that said, “Is this holiday even necessary?” and the best response I read was, “As long as people keep asking that question, it is.”

Remember to come to our Women’s Leadership Forum on March 23rd to hear more.

Also, remember to join Arlington for Justice and Black Parents of Arlington tomorrow for Run for Her Life, an event in the memory of Breonna Taylor. Together we'll honor and celebrate the resilience of Black and Brown women during this collective healing event.

In Solidarity,