A Good Day to SHARE: Emily Ladau on how to break down barriers

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Emily Ladau

Illustration by Rosy Petri

Today, we hear from Emily Ladau, a disability rights activist, about how to break down barriers. Emily Ladau has Larsen syndrome, a rare genetic joint and muscle disorder. She is on a mission to make progress for disability rights by sharing her own story and helping others do the same on their own terms. She's won a number of awards for her activism, and her first book is Demystifying Disability:What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally.

This is episode 5 from a special segment for Women’s History Month about how we can build a more feminist future....and take care of ourselves and each other when the work is daunting. Find more trailblazers in our new book, It’s a Good Day to Change the World.

TRANSCRIPT:

Lauren Schiller: I’m Lauren Schiller, creator of Inflection Point and author of the new book IT’S A GOOD DAY TO CHANGE THE WORLD. 

Every week, throughout women’s history month, we’re bringing you a special segment about how we can build a more feminist future....and take care of ourselves and each other along the way.

Today, we hear from Emily Ladau, a disability rights activist, about how to break down barriers... 

Emily has Larsen syndrome, a rare genetic joint and muscle disorder she inherited from her mom, who has it too. She is on a mission to make progress for disability rights by sharing her own story and helping others do the same... on their own terms. She's won a number of awards for her activism, and her first book is Demystifying Disability:What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally.  

Emily Ladau: I am very, very passionate about storytelling, not really just my own story, but finding ways to amplify as many stories as I possibly can. 

I went to a summer camp for kids with disabilities.  At the Camp , they got a phone call and they said, Hey, we're looking for kids to try out for a role on Sesame Street. Do you have anyone? So, I auditioned for the role and got the part.

Following my time on Sesame Street I would talk about my disability if I felt like the moment was right. But beyond that, the best thing you could possibly say to me was, oh, I forgot that you use a wheelchair, or, I don't think of you as disabled. I just wanted to hide this very apparent thing about myself. 

It  wasn't until college when I started to wake up to the fact that there was no reason for me to be trying to hide something.  First of all, I couldn't , and second of all, I shouldn't have to hide. 

Midway through college, I had what I call a quarter life crisis where I just completely cracked.

And I was like, I need to be a disability advocate. I don't know what that means, but I'm gonna do it. My parents, being the beautiful humans that they are, were like, we have no idea what you're saying. We don't know how you're gonna make money, but we love you. So go for it.

 I'm just trying to do what I can in the hopes that we'll be less afraid of saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing, and we'll just be able to show up as we are and hopefully learn better, and then know better, and then do better.

Lauren Schiller: Here are some of Emily's tools to change the world:

Seek small wins

Emily Ladau: To combat ableism begins by taking a look around the environments that you're in, asking what you're doing to make them inclusive and accessible. Whether it is going to a shop that you frequent and saying, Hey, it would be so great if you could put a ramp in, or if you are planning an event, ensuring that there's gonna be captioning so everybody can understand what's being said. When we begin to make these small changes and create environments that are more meaningfully inclusive, we can start to dismantle how pervasive ableism really is. 

Lauren Schiller: Destigmatize "Disabled"

Emily Ladau:  I try to caution people against the use of euphemisms, like special needs or differently abled. That being said, if someone who has a disability chooses to use those terms for themselves, I respect that. What it comes down to is on the whole, not being afraid of the word disability, it's not a bad word, it's it's a word. It describes who I am. and the only reason we see it as dehumanizing is because we've attached that connotation to it, which means that we also have the power to remove that

Lauren Schiller: And FINALLY, HOW DO WE SUSTAIN OURSELVES WHEN THE WORK IS DAUNTING?

Emily Ladau: I used to keep a very odd sleep schedule and I would always be waking up later and then rushing to all of my meetings for the day. And I finally realized if I can just wake up at the same time every single morning, give myself some time in the morning to eat something, to exercise, to move my body in a way that feels good to start my day by putting myself first, that [00:05:00] that would really make a difference in the tone of my day. I know I sound like some kind of women's health magazine or something. I don't mean to, I'm not one of those people, but it really has made a difference for me.

Lauren Schiller: Find more of Emily Ladau's story, along with more trailblazers and their tools, IN OUR NEW BOOK — IT’S A GOOD DAY TO CHANGE THE WORLD — based on INFLECTION POINT INTERVIEWS.  You can find it wherever you get your books. Learn more ABOUT THE BOOK AT inflectionpointradio.org.

This series was produced in collaboration with K A L W. Our executive producer is David Boyer. Our impact producer and my co-author is Hadley Dynak. 

I'm Lauren Schiller.

A Good Day to TRANSFORM: Senator Sarah McBride on how to advance equality

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This episode we hear from Senator Sarah McBride about how to advance equality.

SARAH MCBRIDE

Illustration by Rosy Petri

“It’s a Good Day to Change the World”

Senator McBride became the highest-ranking openly trans official in the country in 2020 when she was elected to the Delaware state senate. But this wasn’t the first time she made history.

In 2009, McBride was a junior at American University when she used her social media platform to come out as a trans woman. She says coming out was the most difficult thing she'd ever done and realized she wanted to play a larger role in creating an accepting world for more trans people. So, while still in college, she led the way in advocating for the adoption of Delaware’s first gender identity non-discrimination bill.

This is episode 4 from a special segment for Women’s History Month about how we can build a more feminist future....and take care of ourselves and each other when the work is daunting. Find more trailblazers in our new book, It’s a Good Day to Change the World.

A Good Day to CREATE: Gloria Steinem on how to start a revolution

GLORIA STEINEM

Illustration by Rosy Petri

“It’s a Good Day to Change the World”

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Today, we hear from Gloria Steinem about how to start a revolution. Through her speeches, books, documentary films, and the feminist organizations she’s founded, Gloria advocates for reproductive choice and ending violence against women and children. She cofounded the Ms. Foundation for Women, and the Women’s Media Center,among others. She was one of the founders of New York magazine and in 1972 she launched Ms., the first feminist magazine with national distribution.

This is episode 3 from a special segment for Women’s History Month about how we can build a more feminist future....and take care of ourselves and each other when the work is daunting. Find more trailblazers in our new book, It’s a Good Day to Change the World.

TRANSCRIPT

Lauren Schiller: I’m Lauren Schiller, creator of Inflection Point and author of the new book IT’S A GOOD DAY TO CHANGE THE WORLD. 

Every week, throughout women’s history month, we’re bringing you a special segment about how we can build a more feminist future....and take care of ourselves and each other along the way. ​​​​       

Today, we hear from Gloria Steinem about how to start a revolution

Through her speeches, books, documentary films, and the feminist organizations she’s founded, Gloria advocates for reproductive choice and ending violence against women and children. She cofounded the Ms. Foundation for Women, and the Women’s Media Center,among others. She WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF New York magazine and in 1972 she LAUNCHED Ms., the first feminist magazine with national distribution.

Gloria Steinem: National magazines for women are not owned, controlled and edited by women even now. And then it was absolutely, you know, a very strange idea women's magazines were and still art to a large extent about fashion and beauty and cooking and pleasing and so on.

So the idea that, that we , we were going to start what we thought of as a way of making revolution, not hamburgers as Flo Kennedy, always very, very, very ridicule. We were so afraid that we were going to disgrace the entire women's movement. That though it came out in, in January, we covered dated its spring because we did, we thought it might just lie there

But what actually happened was that as all the authors in it spread out, ‘cause we didn't have any money for publicity. I came here to San Francisco and I was on some morning show and someone called after the show and said, you know, we can't find it on the newsstand.

And so I called home and I said, it never got here. It didn't get distributed. And it turned out, it had sold out in eight days .

Lauren Schiller: Here are some of Gloria's tools to change the world:

First, Learn from Indigenous cultures 

Gloria Steinem: probably most of human history and certainly in north and south America, the earliest Cultures are matrilineal women controlled their own fertility by herbs and abortifacients.      

Women tended also to control agriculture, well, men hunted, but those two things were considered equally necessary. And many of the native American cultures here, female elders decided, uh, if it was necessary to go to war or when to make peace, they chose the male leaders. They were part of a circular, consultative consensus seeking government form that was profoundly democratic.

Lauren Schiller: Second, organize in community

Gloria Steinem: If you want people to listen to you, you [00:03:00] have to listen to them. If you want to know how people live, you have to go where they live. Everybody needs to tell their stories, sitting in a circle, being listened to in order to have a community of support and change

Lauren Schiller: Gloria's next tool, balance power

So if you are in a group and you. More power, than the other folks in the group. Just remember to listen as much as you talk. All right. If you have less power, remember to talk as much as you listen, which can be just 

Lauren Schiller: Fourth, Battle for your body

Gloria Steinem: Controlling our own physical selves, especially for women is the first step in any democracy. either. We decide what happens to our bodies. We can use our own voices or there is no democracy after that. 

Lauren Schiller: And finally, how do we sustain ourselves when the work is daunting?

Laugh. As much as possible.

Gloria Steinem:Laughter happens when you learn something, when you think of something, right. And old cultures, especially native American culture. Ha have a spirit of laughter who is neither male, nor female who symbolizes breaking into the unknown. They say, laughter breaks into the unknown that if you can't laugh, you can't pray.

So I would just submit that if you use the degree of laughter as proof of freedom. It's a kind of daily guide .

Lauren Schiller: Part of this conversation was recorded live on stage with Women Lit and the Bay Area Book Festival.

Find more of Gloria Steinem’s story, along with more trailblazers and their tools, In our new book — IT’S A GOOD DAY TO CHANGE THE WORLD — based on INFLECTION POINT interviews.

You can find it wherever you get your books. Learn more about the book at inflectionpointradio.org.

This series was produced in collaboration with K A L W. Our executive producer is David Boyer. Our impact producer and my co-author is Hadley Dynak. 

I'm Lauren Schiller.

A Good Day to PREPARE: Caroline Paul on training to be brave

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Today, we hear from Caroline Paul about the importance of being brave. Caroline should know…She's climbed the Golden Gate Bridge, gotten into Guinness World Records for crawling and trained for the Olympic luge team. In 1989, Caroline was one of the first female firefighters in San Francisco—1 of 15 women out of a crew of 1,500. For thirteen years, every day on the job was an adventure. She published a memoir about her experience, and later wrote The Gutsy Girl and You Are Mighty, a practical guide for young activists.

This is episode 2 from a special segment for Women’s History Month about how we can build a more feminist future....and take care of ourselves and each other when the work is daunting. Find more trailblazers in our new book, It’s a Good Day to Change the World.

TRANSCRIPT

Lauren Schiller: What does it take to build a more equal, just, and joyful world? And how do we sustain ourselves when the work is daunting?

I’m Lauren Schiller, creator of Inflection Point and coauthor of the new book IT’S A GOOD DAY TO CHANGE THE WORLD. 

We’re bringing you a special segment every week of women’s history month, about how we can build a more feminist future....and take care of yourself and each other along the way.

Today, we hear from Caroline Paul about the importance of being brave. Caroline should know…

She's climbed the Golden Gate Bridge, gotten into Guinness World Records for crawling and trained for the Olympic luge team. In 1989, Caroline was one of the first female firefighters in San Francisco—1 of 15 women out of a crew of 1,500.

For over thirteen years, every day on the job was an adventure. She published a memoir about her experience, and later wrote The Gutsy Girl and You Are Mighty, a practical guide for young activists

Caroline Paul: I was a kid that was really shy, and I was scared of a lot of things, but I had a twin sister who was very outgoing and very social, so she was my buffer for a long time. I also read a lot of books about adventure. And adventure taught me a lot about how to manage fear. Though It wasn’t until recently that I realized I should be crediting my mother for my adventurous lifestyle because she told me very recently that in fact she had grown up with a very fearful mother. And then, at twenty-one, she went on a ski trip with friends, and it was a revelation. She had so much fun and she realized everything she’d been missing because her mom had kept her and her sister from doing things like that. She didn’t want that for us. So she encouraged us to do everything; even though she wasn't an outdoors person she wanted us to find what we wanted to do.

I never thought I would be a firefighter when I was growing up. I didn't have those dreams. There were no role models for girls.

But when I was in my twenties, I was a volunteer at KPFA. And I was doing the morning news. And all these stories were coming over my desk about the racism and sexism in the San Francisco fire department. So I thought, Oh, maybe I'll go get an undercover story.

And I'll pretend I'm interested in being a firefighter and take the test. And to my surprise, I got in. And by then I was really quite intrigued with the fire department, it seemed like it would fit my personality. It was an adventurous life.

So I became a firefighter and I loved it.

Lauren Schiller: Here are some of Caroline Paul's tools to change the world

Notice your own gender biases

Caroline Paul: If you have a daughter and a son, notice how you're raising them differently when it comes to challenges, especially physical challenges. And then once you notice, really ask yourself, Are you protecting her when you simply caution her and instill this idea of fear. The way to protect them is to give them guidance on how to deal with danger and deal with situations outside their comfort zone. 

Lauren Schiller: Next, Embrace exhilaration

Caroline Paul: the thing about fear is that it actually feels a lot like excitement physiologically. You might be getting jittery and flushed and your heart's racing and you think that's fear. In fact, it's exhilaration and you're deciding not to do something and missing out on a lot of fun. I really want girls and women to start training and bravery because it is something that's learned.

Lauren Schiller: Be gutsy

Caroline Paul:  you have to come from a place of bravery where you're actually looking at your skills, looking at the situation, and looking at your fear. Fear is good. It keeps you safe. I'm not against fear. I'm just pro gutsy. 

Lauren Schiller: And finally, how do we sustain ourselves when the work is daunting? Caroline’s advice:  Have an adventure

Caroline Paul: I used to go all around the world, having adventures I've been to Siberia and Borneo and Australia. I just I've been a lot of places. And then a friend of mine said, you know, Caroline, the best wilderness is in the United States. And he was right. You can have adventures really close to home. I think that an adventure is when you get outside your comfort zone and you're also having fun. 

Lauren Schiller: Find more of Caroline Paul's story, along with more trailblazers and their tools— in It’s a Good Day to Change the World....our new book based on INFLECTION POINT INTERVIEWS CALLED. You can find it wherever you get your books. Learn more at inflectionpointradio.org.

This series was produced in collaboration with K A L W. Our executive producer is David Boyer. Our impact producer and my co-author is Hadley Dynak. 

I'm Lauren Schiller.

CAROLINE PAUL

Illustration by Rosy Petri

“It’s a Good Day to Change the World”

A Good Day to IMAGINE: Isha Clarke on how to believe in your power

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Isha Clarke is a founding member of Youth vs. Apocalypse, an activist organization that organized the first-ever youth climate strike in San Francisco. Isha has been fighting for climate justice since junior high school. That's when they spoke out against a coal terminal slated to be built in their hometown of Oakland, CA. A few years later they confronted senator Dianne Feinstein about the Green New Deal in a video that went viral.

Isha believes we all have the power to reverse the climate crisis.

This is episode 1 from a special segment for Women’s History Month about how we can build a more feminist future....and take care of ourselves and each other when the work is daunting. Find more trailblazers in our new book, It’s a Good Day to Change the World.

TRANSCRIPT:

Lauren Schiller: What does it take to create a more equal, just, and joyful world? And how do we sustain ourselves when the work is daunting?

I’m Lauren Schiller, creator of Inflection Point and coauthor of the new book IT’S A GOOD DAY TO CHANGE THE WORLD. 

We’re bringing you a special segment every week of women’s history month, about how we can build a more feminist future....and take care of yourself and each other along the way.

Today, we hear from Isha Clarke about how to believe in your power...

Isha is a founding member of Youth vs. Apocalypse, an activist organization that organized the first-ever Youth Climate Strike in San Francisco

Isha has been fighting for climate justice since junior high school. that’s when they spoke out against a coal terminal slated to be built in their hometown of Oakland, CA. A few years later they confronted senator Dianne Feinstein about the Green New Deal in a video that went viral.

Isha believes we all have the power to reverse the climate crisis. 

Isha Clarke: it started as early as I can remember, is listening to my grandpa's stories about his activism. he burned his draft papers and like peed in front of the Koch brothers building and protests and like, has done all these really incredible things his entire life and just hearing all of his stories and. Just seeing him lead by example I think was kind of my earliest introduction into social justice and, and knowing that I wanted to be like that 

All the oil refineries are put in communities of color. The coal terminals that are being planned to build are built through communities of color, and pipelines are built through indigenous water supply and, and sacred lands. 

I realized how central environmental racism is to climate justice and how historically the environmental justice movement didn't reflect the actual people who were on the front lines of the injustice.

Young people who are leading this movement have been getting a lot more attention Our job is both to redefine what climate justice means. And really working on the movement from the inside, trying to make sure that frontline voices are always centered and that we have this very clear agenda to normalize climate justice and reverse the climate crisis. 

This is a fight for lives.

It's about creating an equitable just world. And to make sure that the new world that comes from. Is sustainable and run by solutions that are created by frontline communities

Lauren Schiller: Here are some of Isha’s tools to change the world:

First up: Imagine new systems

Isha Clarke: fighting the climate crisis is also fighting all of the systems of oppression that undergird our world, that have led us to this [00:03:00] crisis. We're taking on the task of completely dismantling everything that we know, and that is really scary, and people say that it's idealistic. And so I think the largest task is shifting from believing that what we need is idealistic and finding a way to do it. 

Lauren Schiller: Second: Resist delay

Isha Clarke: We had this action at Chevron and we actually got to talk to some Chevron executives, and what we were saying was, we don't have time for this long, slow transition to renewable energy. We just don't have that time. And they were saying, you know, well change is slow. And over the course of history, you see that change has been slow. And that's exactly the problem. ​​​ You know, we cannot do things the way that they've been done before.  And that scares people.

Lauren Schiller: Third:Keep the pressure on

Isha Clarke: pressure makes diamonds. I think that the biggest thing that we can do is to never forget the power that we have as the people. And really, I have to emphasize this point , that power holders would not have power if it weren't for the people and. Just every day as a mantra and as an affirmation, remind​​​​​​​​​ yourself that you have power and that power is multiplied and multiplied as you link arms with other people and stand in solidarity

Lauren Schiller: And finally, how do we sustain ourselves when the work is daunting?

Isha Clarke: I'm starting to realize that. The only thing that really matters is that you feel comfortable in the body and in the being that you are. But that's really hard to do in a society that's telling you what you should do and who you should be all the time. So it takes a lot of self-reflection and self-awareness. Something that I started doing was keeping a, a journal.

Sometimes I'll do like a really corny journal entry and sometimes I'll write a poem or sometimes I'll make a list or you know it clears my brain and that's when I really get to check in with myself and also just seeing like what gets put on the paper? What, what was I thinking today? What did I do today? 

Lauren Schiller: Find more of Isha Clarke's story, along with more trailblazers and their tools— in It’s a Good Day to Change the World--our new book based on inflection point interviews....You can find it wherever you get your books. Learn more at inflectionpointradio.org.

This series was produced in collaboration with K A L W. Our executive producer is David Boyer. Our impact producer and my co-author is Hadley Dynak. 

I'm Lauren Schiller.

ISHA CLARKE

Illustration by Rosy Petri

“It’s a Good Day to Change the World”

It's a Good Day to Change the World - New book available for preorder

Hello friends,
Have we got news for you! I am so excited to share what we have been up to these many months, and it seems so timely to announce…

WE WROTE A BOOK!

It's a Good Day to Change the World from Countryman Press, an imprint of W.W. Norton.

It comes out 2/28/2023. Here's a sneak peak of the cover!

30 stories of feminist change to fire you up without burning you out.

What does it take to create an equal, just and joyful world?

My producer Hadley and I spent the last year diving deep into hundreds of Inflection Point interviews with activists, artists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries to answer this question. The result is an essential, energizing guidebook for a feminist future!

The book is organized into five steps for action. Each chapter focuses on one step, and features inspiring firsthand narratives alongside vibrant illustrations. Plus you'll get practical tools for change and strategies for sustaining yourself and each other when the work is daunting.

You'll learn from established icons and meet new ones, too. From Ijeoma Oluo to Sarah Silverman; from Betty Reid Soskin to Sarah McBride; from Reshma Saujani to Gloria Steinem, you'll discover how to push new ideas forward, the significance of building solidarity, the liberating power of laughter, the importance of valuing your own time, and more.

And you can preorder the book today! It is a full color, beautifully illustrated hardcover 7"x7" 200 page book made for giving. Consider it as a holiday gift for your daughter, your mom, your brother, your friend, your co-worker, or your entire organization. Don't forget to buy one for yourself too, obviously. When you preorder, you get first dibs the book, and it shows bookstores that there is interest and that they should order lots of copies too. A win win!

Some news:

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In 2014 I had a vision
I wanted to amplify the voices of women change-makers. Six years ago, that was an ambitious goal! We were hearing a lot ABOUT women and power, but hardly anyone was talking WITH women on the radio–let alone on podcasts–about what it takes to gain power, how to use it, and what’s in our way. So I reached out to KALW 917.FM, my local public radio station in San Francisco and pitched the idea.

In the vanguard of women-focused shows
We were then, and still are, one of the only nationally syndicated radio programs and one of the first podcasts ever to take a close-up look at the changing roles of women in politics, academia, the arts, business leadership, activism and more. We were an inaugural member of Project Catapult from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PRX and this year, we won a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation.

"We are at an inflection point!"
On this show, we’ve documented the changes for women between two major milestones here in the US: From right before we thought we’d see our first woman President in Hillary Clinton, to today, when we might see our first VP woman of color, in Kamala Harris.

We ARE at an inflection point for women–and change is coming!  

Change is good
I’m making a change too. You may have noticed we’ve been on a pandemic-related production hiatus for a few months now, and I have just made the bittersweet decision to pause production of Inflection Point indefinitely. I say “pause” and “indefinitely” because, well, I own the trademark and hey, you never know what’s around the next corner! UPDATE: We’re working on a book!

Moderating, creating and getting out the vote
I’ll still be moderating live events, consulting, and creating.  I have a few new projects in the hopper–and of course I will still be working hard for equality and justice. 

Stay in touch, will you?
It’s been an honor to have your ear for nearly 200 episodes.  I hope you have gotten as much out of these conversations with world-changing women as I have.  I’ll be archiving these incredible oral histories to ensure they are permanently accessible, and keeping them in the podcast feed as well.

I still want to hear from you. I want to know which organizations you are working with, and where you are putting your time to make change. Send me an email at lauren@inflectionpointradio.org. Celebrate yourself, and celebrate others! What are you excited about? WHO are you excited about?

Thank you for ensuring that these powerful women’s voices had their share of the air

Thank you again so much for listening, supporting and contributing to this show for so long. We’ll be seeing each other soon.

With love and action,
Lauren

PS That sassy paper-cut art of me is by Miriam Klein Stahl, a Bay Area artist, educator and activist, the New York Times-bestselling illustrator of Rad American Women A-Z and Rad Women Worldwide, and a guest on Inflection Point. The original, along with many other of Miriam's paper-cuts of feminists will be displayed next Spring at the Oakland Museum of California as part of their Hella Feminist exhibition. How cool is that? Another fun fact: the photo it’s based on is by author Kelly Corrigan.

PPS Watch the video, with more about the show and the many people who made it possible!

Thank you!

I’d like to thank my producer Eric Wayne for being an amazing creative partner, sounding board, and sound-man, recording every word and ensuring I and my guests all sounded good from day one. And to Matt Martin who as the station manager at KALW, believed in the idea and gave me a chance to pilot this show. Thanks to Tina Pamintuan for her ongoing support at KALW and to all the public radio stations who have carried it since. Alaura Weaver was my super smart, plugged in story editor and content manager and I even though we NEVER MET IN PERSON, I looked forward to our every conversation even when you pushed me out of my comfort zone. And thank you to my editorial board. You showed up for me every single time.

Thanks also to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for their early and generous grant, John Barth and Kerri Hoffman for bringing me into the fold as an inaugural member of their podcast accelerator, Project Catapult and to the team at PRX for distributing the podcast.

And especially, thank you to YOU who are reading right now for listening, supporting, donating and ensuring that these powerful women’s voices had their share of the air.

And this election season remember, when women rise up, we all rise up. 

I’m Lauren Schiller. This is Inflection Point. And this is how women rise up!

Toolkit: Get More Women Elected

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What are the most important things to know before you run for office?
What should you do once you’ve decided to run?
How can we support women who are running?

— —

Listen, Learn and Act with this Toolkit based on Lauren’s Inflection Point conversation with Kate Black, author of Represent: The Woman's Guide to Running for Office and Changing the World.

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You don't need to know when you're running or what you're running for but running for office is not a solo activity. It is a team sport and it takes a village.- Kate Black

LISTEN TO LAUREN’S TOOLKIT CONVERSATION WITH KATE BLACK

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Women are underrepresented at all levels of government. They also make up the majority of minimum wage workers and earn less than men for comparable work. We need more women in elected positions making policy changes that support women’s rights. Women sponsor more legislation than their male counterparts in general and are more likely to focus on issues like education, reproductive rights, civil liberties, and healthcare than men. It’s imperative that more women run for office.

Represent: The Women’s Guide to Running for Office walks through the checklist of things to consider if you run and how to support women who do. The book also highlights the many organizations (both Republican and Democrat) created specifically to help make sure women’s voices are heard. A few key resources are below along and a comprehensive list is housed at the Center for Women in Politics at Rutgers University.

• EMILY’s List: An organization helping pro-choice Democratic women get elected.

• Emerge America: An organization training Democratic women to run for office.

• Feminist Majority: An organization working for equal rights that endorses key candidates supporting a women’s platform. Check them out for info about who to vote for and support in key elections.

• She Should Run: A nonpartisan nonprofit working to increase the number of women considering a run for office.

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Here some key takeaways from Lauren’s conversation with Kate Black.

1. Figure out what issue fires you up the most. Understanding and identifying that issue is the first thing to do because it's eventually going to be your platform if you decide to run.

2. Start showing up. Attend City Council meetings. Ask local leaders for 1:1 meetings. Go to protests or community events. When your community sees you there for them they will be more likely to show up for you during a campaign.

3. Talk to lots of people and explore your thoughts about running. Words have incredible power and when you say, "I think I'm going to run for office one day" that not only makes a promise for yourself but it also brings in a whole collection of folks into your journey along with you.

4. Identify the requirements that it takes to run for the specific seat you're considering. Don’t confuse your qualifications with the requirements. Your experience is unique and relevant.

5. Support other women running for office by voting for them. You can also donate time, money, and expertise to their campaigns. Behind every woman candidate is another woman trying to help her get it all together. Don't wait to be invited. Just step in however you can. If you know someone would be a good candidate—encourage them!

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ABOUT KATE BLACK

Former Chief of Staff for EMILY's List, Kate Black, just published her first book, written with the actress June Diane Raphael. It’s called “Represent The Woman's Guide to Running for Office and Changing the World.” She shares the attributes of successful candidates, the stories of women who rose to office against all odds, and how to respond when you hear someone say this country isn’t ready for a woman president. Plus, how to determine if you have the time to get out there and run.

Kate and Lauren spoke in September 2019. Listen to Kate’s quick 7 min how-to or the in-depth interview.

Kate Black

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AUDIO TOOLKIT TRANSCRIPT

Lauren Schiller:                  I'm Lauren Schiller and we're trying something new on Inflection Point, which I'm very excited about and that is to provide an ongoing series of toolkits in our show, from our guests, with concrete actions you can take on the issues that matter to you. We created these toolkits so that when you only have a few minutes or so you can get the inspiration and information you need to do something. Today's Inflection Point toolkit, my guest Kate Black, the author of "Represent - The Women's Guide to Running for Office and Changing the World" tells us how we can get more women in office. Whether you're deciding to run or supporting someone who is.

Lauren Schiller:                  When it comes to getting more women in office what are three things you need to know before you decide to run?

Kate Black:                            A couple things that I would say to anybody who's listening who's thinking about running, first things to do. Number one is to figure out what issue fires you up the most. You probably have been posting about this on social media, you might be talking about it all the time with your friends, it might come up a lot at Thanksgiving. Understanding and identifying that issue is the first thing to do because it's eventually going to be your platform.

Kate Black:                            The second thing I would say is start showing up. You know, identify how you're representing your community now. It could be looking at are you attending city council meetings? Have you asked for your local leaders to have one on one meetings with you? Are you going to protests? Are you going to community events? There's so many different ways that you can show up for your community. It's important that you start kind of being present because eventually if you run for office you're going to ask your community to show up for you and so it's important to be there for them from the start.

Kate Black:                            The third thing I would say is start talking to people. You don't need to know when you're running or what you're running for but running for office is not a solo activity. It is a team sport and it takes a village. Start telling people you want to run. This could be a small group at first, it could be your partner, your family, maybe your close friends. Our words have powerful, make powerful promises to ourselves when we say them aloud. When you say, "I think I'm going to run for office one day" that not only makes a promise for yourself but it also brings in a whole collection of folks into your journey along with you.

Kate Black:                            those are the first three things I would tell anyone who's thinking about running for office. Those are the first three things I would say to start doing today.

Lauren Schiller:                  So say someone has made the decision to run. What do they need to know?

Kate Black:                            For someone running for office the things that I would tell you to do first are identify the requirements that it takes to run for the specific seat you're looking at. You know, for Congress that means you have to have been a resident and a certain age to run. For local and state offices there might be different requirements around residency or how old you need to be to run for that specific seat. Don't confuse qualifications and requirements. You are qualified today. Your experience is your expertise. Remember that you are enough and that men are not waiting so it's time for you to step up. The other thing I would tell you to do is really think about your social media presence. Do an inventory, go through every Tweet, every Facebook post, every Instagram video. Take time, be one with your computer because you need to go through everything. Once you've done that it's time to identify, do you need to have a campaign page and a private page?

Kate Black:                            Eventually I think the answer is probably "yes" because the folks that you first talked to when you set up your Facebook account in college, are they the same people you need to communicate your policy platform with and about events and fundraisers for your campaign? Maybe, but maybe not, so think about having a separate profile and public persona for your campaign that's different from your private pages.

Kate Black:                            The last thing I would say is think about the community of people around you and how you can involve them in this new journey. That could look like your sorority, your alumni association, a professional network, your daycare pickup circle. It could look like the softball league down the street that you show up for on every other Saturday but invite those people into your journey. They can be volunteers, they can maybe host fundraisers for you, they could give you money. They also might be some of your staff. Do you know someone who's really great at organizing events? They can maybe be a finance director. Do you know the person down the street who knows everybody's business and where everyone lives? That person might be a field director. They might be there with you knocking on doors because they know who's home when and where.

Kate Black:                            These are a few first steps I would take to running but you've already done the most important thing, which is deciding to put your name on the ballot in the first place.

Lauren Schiller:                  What could we all do to support other women who are running if we ourselves are not?

Kate Black:                            This is a great question. It's one that we get a lot. The final chapter of the book is actually titled, "How Do I Support Other Women?" Voting for them is a great, cost free way to support other women running for office. You can donate your time, your money, your expertise to their campaigns. You can also help her in other ways. June and I like to say that behind every woman candidate is really another woman trying to help her get it all together. If you have a friend or you know a woman who's running, don't wait to be invited to offer help. Just step in. That could look like making sure that there's Diet Coke's in the fridge and coffee in the morning. It could look like picking up the dry cleaning or walking the dog or taking her to get her hair done or you know, inviting her to go out for a walk just to blow off some steam. Whatever it is, don't wait to be invited, just start showing up for her.

Kate Black:                            The last thing is asking her to run. We know it takes women multiple times to ask them to run for them to step up. We need to be recruited intentionally and thoughtfully and so if you know a woman in your life, and I invite you to think really about all the women in your life and consider them. Whether they're domestic worker, sex workers, teachers, bus drivers, cashiers, bank tellers because we still have those, maybe radio hosts. All of the women in your life can run for office and I ask you to consider them and share with them this book.

Lauren Schiller:                  [00:51:02]

Lauren Schiller:                  That was Kate Black, who just published the book, "Represent - The Women's Guide to Running for Office and Changing the World" that she wrote with June Diane Raphael. I've got a link to it on my website at InflectionPointRadio.org.

Lauren Schiller:                  Now for some news. When you go into the podcast feed you'll see our episodes broken up into two segments: one for when you have a little more time and one for when you're, well, on the run. Whether it's running for office or running an errand. That way if you want to hear again what Kate Black says are the most important things you can do when running for office or supporting someone who is, it's all right there in a tiny little package. Find Inflection Point episodes in any podcast app or go to InflectionPointRadio.org.

Lauren Schiller:                  This episode is dedicated to my friend Stephanie Walton, who stepped up to run for office in Oakland, California and to all the other women who are raising their hands. You can do it and we support you. This is Inflection Point. I'm Lauren Schiller and this is how women rise up.

Lauren Schiller:                  [00:52:21]

Lauren Schiller:                  That's our Inflection Point for today. All of our episodes are on Apple Podcast, RadioPublic, Stitcher, Pandora, NPR One, all the places. Give us a five star review and subscribe to the podcast. Know women leading change we should talk to? Let us know at InflectionPointRadio.org. While you're there, support our production with a tax deductible monthly or one time contribution. When women rise up, we all rise up. Just go to InflectionPointRadio.org. We're on Facebook and Instagram at Inflection Point Radio. Follow us and join the Inflection Point Society, our Facebook group of everyday activists who seek to make extraordinary change through small daily actions. Follow me on Twitter @LASchiller. To find out more about today's guest and to be in the loop with our email newsletter, you know where to go: InflectionPointRadio.org.

Lauren Schiller:                  Inflection Point is produced in partnership with KALW 91.7 FM in San Francisco NPRX. Our community manager is Alaura Weaver, our engineer and producer is Eric Wayne. I'm your host, Lauren Schiller. This is Inflection Point and this is how women rise up.

Lauren Schiller:                  [00:53:44]

Feminist Detective: The Case of the Unfunny Women

LISTEN ON: APPLE PODCASTS | STITCHER | PANDORA | SPOTIFY | NPR ONE | MORE

Today on this special segment, a new scientific study shows that men are funnier than women. Special guest, author and journalist, Ruth Whippman and Lauren get to the bottom of this finding and seize the means of humor production!

Feminist Detective--The Case of the Missing Apology

Journalist and author Ruth Whippman joins me to seek out sexism in all its tiny guises so we can make big changes. This week we dig into why women are dinged for apologizing too much.

This segment is presented ad-free. Support Inflection Point with a tax deductible contribution.