Word: whited
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...just an ad for the WLC (that's what my T-shirt is for), I wanted to write about the issues of feminism and politics raised in one of the speeches we heard, the keynote address by Marie C. Wilson President of the Ms. Foundation and of the White House Project. (She also helped create "Take Our Daughters To Work...
Wilson's speech, which detailed the founding of the project and some of the initial opposition to the idea, was genuinely thought-provoking. Her main theme was that leadership often involves taking on a project when everyone else believes that you're wrong, and she used the White House Project as an example of such an endeavor. Fundraising efforts for the project were somewhat hindered by the nature of the program--one which rises above both political parties and the money which flows from those parties. The candidates on the ballot are split fairly evenly among liberals and conservatives...
Should the ultimate goal be a woman, any woman, in the White House, or should it be a woman who, for example, is pro-choice, pro-universal health care, pro-gun control and pro-education? That is, should a woman be elected solely for her gender, regardless of her policies, or should she be elected because as a woman, she might (or should) appreciate the struggles of those who are discriminated against and those whose rights are being ignored? Why should we be eager for a woman president unless we want a representative in the White House who believes...
...Foundation is itself traditionally liberal in its views (Gloria Steinem is one of the founding organizers), and I wonder how the members of that group would feel if their White House Project helped contribute to the election of a conservative woman president. Wilson bristled a little at my question and reiterated her stance that the goal was to flood the national stage with strong women candidates and then start considering the issue of politics. Real leadership, she repeated, was moving forward in the face of criticism of the sort I had just raised...
...wasn't trying to be critical; I am genuinely concerned about how liberal activists on the White House Project (and conservative activists, for that matter) can be indifferent that that their work might bring a woman of any political stripe to the Oval Office. Wilson didn't answer that part of my question, so I'm still wondering. I don't think I can support the White House Project for its non-partisan approach, though I admire its cooperative spirit, but I will support such organizations as Emily's List, which works to elect liberal women to public office...