“We cannot expect that our wishes will be respected unless we learn to use the tools which give us strength, and unless we are willing to work for the things we believe in”.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
THE IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN IN THE POLITICAL AND LEGISLATIVE ARENA:
Women are not a special interest group. We’re a majority of citizens who have been given the right to have a say in who’s elected, how we’re represented, and what legislative issues we want brought before Congress. We have the power, but we have to use it.
Women need to be taking part in the political process. We need to know who the legislators are that are making decisions that will impact our lives, and the legislators need to know who you are - one of the people they're representing.
We need to know what bills are being drawn up and voted on that will impact us and our children. And we need to be telling our legislators where we stand on these bills.
We need to be supporting the women who run for legislative office. Currently 8 of the 33 Senate districts are represented by women; and there are only 16 women for the 99 House districts.
And while not every woman can add a full load of political participation to their already busy lives, there are a variety of ways to become politically active without having it take over your life.
The first thing and the easiest is to make a commitment to go out and vote each and every time there's an election in the State of Tennessee. There were a lot of women in this state and around the country who made great sacrifices so we could have the right to vote and have our voices heard.
Second, statistics show that young women are not voting. We need to be encouraging the women of future generations to go out and vote so we continue to pass on the legacy left to us by the women who came before us.
Third, women need to be supporting the women who run for office. Having women in public office, whether at the local, state or national level makes a difference.
Fourth - consider running for an office. It can be on your school board, city council, or at the state level. Women need to be represented at every level of government.
Last, but not least - join an organization that follows legislative issues. Knowledge is power. There are all sorts of women's organizations that keep up with the legislative issues that impact women and children. Some are focused locally while others are geared toward the national level.
Here in Tennessee, the Tennessee Women's Political Caucus has one of the strongest presence for women on Capitol Hill. We work to represent the women of this state from Johnson City to Memphis and Clarksville to Chattanooga. And the men and women who join the TWPC make a difference by just adding their name to the roster.
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