Minnesota is a pretty big state. Stretching hundreds of miles from the rocky shores of Lake Superior to the vast prairie spanning along the Iowa border. But last Thursday night the state got a whole lot smaller.
We had over sixty people, mostly all women, calling from the far reaches of the state, from Northfield to the North Shore. Not to mention all the people making calls from our Duluth, St. Paul and Grand Rapids offices. Although the women callers may all see a different slice of Minnesota when they look out the window, all sixty volunteers shared a common story that night- we need a Minnesota that works for women and families. Several women shared their own stories of going to work too soon after a child was born or not having paid time off to care for a sick family member. Unfortunately these stories are too common in all corners of our state.
That’s why our work is so important. We can actually change this story for all Minnesota’s women and families. Seriously, this can be changed. On Thursday night we made 3,000 calls. Meaning we called households all over Minnesota to talk about these issues and why our elections are so important. Imagine if that number grows even bigger with each passing night. We can have enough conversations to shift the story we want to tell about what it’s like to be a woman or raise a family in Minnesota.
Who we elect on November 4th matters greatly. We can either change the story or we can continue to tell a story of women and families being left behind. But to get there we need all of us. From Pipestone to Warroad, we need to tell the story of what isn’t working and ask for a better Minnesota. This isn’t an abstract far off fairy-tale story we tell. This is a reality that can and will happen if we work hard. If we make our calls and we elect champions for women and families on November 4th.
