As Political Director, I’ve been all around the state with our endorsed candidates this year, connecting with new folks, enjoying catching up with old friends, and thinking a lot about my vision for Minnesota – what we can do, but also about who we are, and what’s at stake for me personally. There is an increasing divide in our country between those at the very top, and the rest of us. My mom was laid off from a corporate job she held for 13 years because the company needed to save money for executive salaries and bonuses. Workers who had been with the company for years, who were so loyal to them, were redlined to save money – workers who have a pension were the first to be let go. My brother has a blood disease, which requires infusions when he’s injured, as well as constant maintenance to keep him healthy. These life-saving infusions cost upwards of $30,000 each time. Without good insurance coverage, my brother would be completely broke or worse. But for me personally, what’s at stake is my body, my rights over it, my security in it.When the news broke that Donald Trump had groped women without their consent, I felt triggered, and I felt unsafe. I was sexually assaulted in college, and this incident started because a group of guys thought it was okay to grope me. They thought they were funny, that their actions were harmless – perhaps they thought it was just “guys being guys”. That night was 15 years ago and it still haunts me. This behavior is unacceptable, it’s #NOTokay, and the fact that a man running to be our President, the number one position in our country, has exhibited these actions is unfathomable. But it doesn’t stop there. Many of the women we have endorsed; queer women, women of color, mothers, sisters, wives, are running to lead their communities. I have seen these women degraded, insulted, second guessed and even sexually harassed as they endeavor to build and grow winning campaigns. Its #Notokay. Its not the Minnesota I envision, and I know many of you feel the same. So what is really at stake for me is my place in the world as a woman. I have a voice, I have agency over my own body and my own choices, and so do you! I will continue to speak up, to demand more, and to accept nothing less than absolute respect and equity, for myself and others. JOIN ME. VOTE. SHARE YOUR STORY.
