Ask Emily 1 – Entrance Into Civic and Political Life
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/10/23
Emily LaDouceur is a mother of two boys and Executive Editor for The Good Men Project. After working in higher education administration for over a decade, she left the field to dedicate her life to dismantling the systems and internalized biases that oppress all of us. LaDacouer is a very active and valued member of the team at The Good Men Project. I decided to reach out, as she has been running in politics, recently. She is part of the unprecedented trend in terms of the number of women entering into civic and political life in the United States. It is exciting. Also, it is educational. She agreed to take some time for short interview sessions, where this represents the first one. Enjoy.
When I spoke with LaDouceur about her start in politics and civic life in the United States, as a personal decision, she spoke to spending many years engaged in the political process, even spending time volunteering on a number of campaigns.
She relayed a cool experience of shaking hands with Barack Obama in 2008. At the time, she was canvassing in Westchester, Pennsylvania. She talked about never truly imagining herself as someone running for public office, a distant dream – even, potentially, a daunting and fearful nightmare.
However, LaDouceur stated, “It was only after watching so many women stepping up to run for office, many of them winning, that I said to myself, ‘I could do this. I SHOULD do this.'” The rest was history.
Then I related the post-November 2016 situation, where American women, across all identity lines, began to enter into politics in droves. I asked, “Why?”
She replied, “We’ve been left out of the political process for too long. Women are waking up more and more every day, realizing our own oppression and unpacking our internalized sexism. We feel compelled to act! If not us, then who?”
Imagine not only being among the many to realize this, but, in turn, to have the gumption or courage to go out into the public arena and fight for what matters most to her – and, in fact, millions of women like her. On a deeper and distant point, the women throughout the developing world looking to the directions the richest, most powerful nation on the face of the Earth is taking regarding women’s equality.
Then I brought the point about the rather asynchronous and grassroots movement of women and mothers, as she is a mom, becoming more civically and politically engaged than before. Taking the bold steps, they become leaders in spite of the additional barriers, challenges, and, in the cases of mothers, time limitations.
LaDouceur concluded, “I don’t think it’s been asynchronous at all. Women have been the strongest organizers on the ground since the dawn of time. We’ve just shifted our focus from propping up male candidates to elevating ourselves, encouraging each other to run and beginning the process of grooming young women for leadership roles. Succession planning will be key for us to sustain this movement.”
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