The Inspirational Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

This post originally appeared on Running Start's website and is featured by Women Rule.

As a Latina working in the women in politics world, I often push for greater representation of Latinas. We are underrepresented in the halls of government, and our stories and leadership matter. When I was just starting at Running Start, I had the honor to meet Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Latina elected to Congress. She couldn’t have been warmer or more enthusiastic about our work. That was plenty for me to become a fan, but she added icing to the cake.  A few days later, I received a letter of support from her—on her official stationery! It now sits in a special spot on the windowsill by my desk, framed and proudly displayed.

The Congresswoman’s support for Running Start has never waned. She served as our 2016 Republican Co-Chair, she’s hosted several of our Running Start/Walmart Star Fellows as Congressional interns, she made a speech on the House floor in praise of our mission (below), and she is always one of the first elected officials to say yes when we ask her to speak to our young women to inspire them.

Uploaded by IleanaRosLehtinen on 2016-03-15.

I was sad to hear the Congresswoman announce that she will not seek reelection in 2018. We will miss one of our best champions in Congress and one of the best role models for girls and young women interested in politics. Just this year, two more Latinas followed in her footsteps and started their first terms in Congress: Congresswoman Nanette Barragán and the first Latina Senator, Catherine Cortez Masto.

To give her the sendoff she deserves, I reached out to some of our alums who have worked in her office and asked them what it meant to them to work for Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen. They all wrote back right away—I couldn’t believe it; that never happens! But the Congresswoman is special. The speed of their responses was a testament to the loyalty and dedication she inspires. 

Lucinda Borque, Fall 2015 Star Fellow @Andrealucinda

I was one of the lucky ones. I say this because I interned for the honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. If you ever visited Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s office, you would be reenergized with her famous Cuban cafecito (coffee) and her staff. I was asked what Ileana Ros-Lehtinen means to me and I find myself lost for words. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen opened doors for me—I did not know what a Republican truly was until I interned for one. She truly reaches across the aisle, someone who always educates, and someone who truly cares about the present and future of our country.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is a woman of honesty, integrity, and dedication. She is the voice for the voiceless: Ros-Lehtinen is a woman of character who always speaks her mind and speaks the mind of her people. She takes the time to speak to her constituents and she takes the time to get to know her interns. (I was able to intern for the Congresswoman after completing the Running Start Star Fellowship.) She even gave a speech praising my mother for all the hard work she has done raising her daughters. Being a Latina and a first generation college graduate in my family, and hearing those words being said to my mother will forever be engraved in my memory. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is an inspiration and I thank her for allowing me to be a part of her world. She is my inspiration to keep striving and when I run for office, I can look back and know, I am a lucky one!    

Alexandria Murphy, Fall 2016 Star Fellow @murphalexandria

I am saddened to see that my former boss Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen is retiring, but amazed at the incredible career that she has had in public service. I have no doubt that because of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, many future leaders will emerge through her inspiration and leadership. Working for the Congresswoman as a Running Start Star Fellow was simply the greatest time of my life so far. Each day we were greeted in the office with cheerful hellos and cafecito, and the Congresswoman listened to our updates on life, even from the interns. She took the time to make every single person feel important and worthy of being there. Working on Capitol Hill is magnificent in and of itself, but to work for a female Member who so dearly cares about her district and her staff and who paves the way for those that come after her is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I couldn’t have imagined being a part of a better experience in Washington. There are three portraits in the Capitol which inspire me: Jeannette Rankin, Shirley Chisholm, and (in the House Foreign Affairs Committee Room, as a beacon of hope for future women in public service) the undeniably resilient and forward thinking Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Taylor Johnson, Fall 2015 Star Fellow LinkedIn

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen has been an inspiration to me and thousands of young women across our country with political aspirations. Many know her as the first Cuban-American Member of Congress, the first Hispanic woman ever elected to Congress, or the first woman to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I know her as the woman that other Members of Congress look up to. I have come to know her as a fearless individual who never hesitates to put her party lines aside to stand up for what she believes in and what is truly best for South Florida. During my time in Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen’s office, I have sacrificed many early mornings and a few late nights and I have developed a serious dependency on Cuban coffee, but all of those sacrifices become worth it in a job where you truly believe in what you do and the Member that you represent. She has taught me to never give up or give in when you believe in something, and that having a crazy work schedule is no excuse to not play on the softball team. She has set the bar on having a successful marriage and loving your children unconditionally. One of the things I will miss the most about the Congresswoman will be the daily phone calls that always begin with a loud, “Dexter Wayne! Love of my life!” that bring all business in the office to an immediate halt.

Above all, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen taught me to not sweat the small stuff, to always take time to laugh throughout the day, even when there are a million and one things left to do before the sun sets. The personal impact she has had on me will stay with me throughout my life, and I could not be more grateful for the opportunities that have been afforded to me while working for Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen. I am honored to serve her and the constituents of the 27th Congressional District of Florida through her last day in Congress.

Alexandra Curtis, Fall 2014 Star Fellow @AllieCurtisRI

My time as a Running Start Star Fellow in Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen’s office was invaluable to me and many other Running Start alums and how we see our place in the chambers of Congress. Ileana took a genuine interest in her interns, and would even ask us about our thoughts on issues and legislation. The fact that Republicans and Democrats alike are saddened by the news of her retirement is a testament to her honor and legacy. She has been one of the most effective leaders I have seen in action and thanks to the example she set, I left her office knowing that as a young woman I have a place in Congress and I am not only capable of serving in that capacity—I am needed. The Congresswoman embodies all that Running Start stands for and I’m grateful for her exemplary dedication to the program and her leadership in Congress.

Making the #ILookLikeAPolitician Movement

This post originally appeared on Running Start's website and is featured by Women Rule.

“You’re the hottest woman [at our office].” “Good thing you’re working out, because you wouldn’t want to get porky.” “Look at that face!” “She’s the best looking attorney general in the country.” “I like my girls chubby.” “What are your measurements?” “I’m going to treat you like a lady … now act like one.” Surprisingly, none of these are Tinder pick-up lines inspired by the “negging” strategy promoted by so-called “pick-up artists”. These are comments made about women in politics by their colleagues and opponents. The office in that first line? It’s the United States Senate.

At Running Start, we train young women to run for office and challenge them to change how we see women leaders with our #ILookLikeAPolitician social media campaign. With each #ILookLikeAPolitician post, they make the case that all young women look like leaders. And in our entry to the Project for Awesome video contest, we reached new audiences with this critical message.

But we can’t make this culture shift alone.

Because even though we equip the young women we train with the skills and confidence they need to defy stereotypes and expectations, it will take a larger movement to create a world that accepts and celebrates what they have to offer. In fact, some of our alums have faced incredibly inappropriate comments when they attain public office: “Hey, new girl.” “You look so young, you could be a teenager.” “You’re cute!” “I’d love to see nude photos of you.” And this isn’t idle chatter: research shows that when you talk about the appearance of a woman in politics, even positively, you reduce voter’s confidence in her qualifications.

Young women are listening, and some of them have told us that the prospect of being the object of remarks like these discourages them from pursuing political leadership. And many of the 10,000+ young women we’ve trained share that they didn’t see themselves as leaders before, in large part because so many of the political leaders they see around them don’t look like them. About half of our participants and trainers are women of color, who see even fewer role models representing them in politics. This is the classic “you can’t be what you can’t see” problem (as famously described by founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, and echoed by founder of The White House Project, Marie Wilson). Our #ILookLikeAPolitician campaign counteracts both the scarcity of existing role models and the sexism that turns women away from leading in politics. We’re harnessing the power of social media to shift the leadership narrative.

At the end of last year, Running Start took this effort to the next level by participating in the Project for Awesome, a video contest that raises money for charities. We released a video explaining the importance of what we do and we harnessed our network of alums and supporters to share it and vote for us so that we could compete for a grant. Although we didn’t win a grant, together, we accomplished an important goal. We added to the growing chorus of voices encouraging young women to run for office, which helps inspire more young women to get into politics and makes more people around them receptive to it. It’s exciting to know so many people supported our contest entry—knowing that we have so many backers renews our commitment to continue building the pipeline. There are young women who are hungry for the skills training and mentorship we offer, and we’re ready for them.

Please keep sharing our video and make videos of your own! Make a video telling us why you look like a politician and post it using #ILookLikeAPolitician. All of us together can make a stand for young women: our video and yours will declare that we believe in their power and abilities.

Basically White

This post originally appeared in US News & World Report.

“She’s basically white.”

When someone I know described me this way to a friend, at first I didn’t know what to think, but I knew I was angry. Who was she to say who I am? And the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became.

Let me backtrack and explain. My mom is white, and her ancestors arrived in the United States at various times from various places. None of that has really impacted her experience as a white person who people assume is American based on their first impressions. My dad is Venezuelan, of a mix of racial backgrounds that is pretty common in many parts of Latin America, and he looks it, with medium brown skin and (when he was younger) dark hair. He is fluent in English (and is a far better speller in English than I am), but will always have an accent since he didn’t learn the language until his mid-20s.

Left to right: my cousin (on my dad’s side), my mom, baby me, my dad. 1990.

Left to right: my cousin (on my dad’s side), my mom, baby me, my dad. 1990.

I consider myself Latina. Boxes often frustrate me because I feel like I am both and neither of my parents’ census categories, but I have chosen to self-identify as Latina. Although I am just as fascinated by my mom’s background as I am with my dad’s, I was born in the United States, have never really lived anywhere else, and my first language is English. On the other hand, I am deeply concerned about losing ties to my father’s family and culture and have decided to proactively stand against that loss. I do this by actively affirming that part of who I am. I also know that my name and aspects of my appearance clearly flag me as not definitely white (and maybe not definitely American) to many people, so I want to assert and celebrate being Latina as a bulwark against feeling self-conscious.

Honestly, that should be enough. If I say I’m Latina, that should be it.

But I find myself trying to understand why my identity was so cavalierly tossed aside. So far, I have two main theories. At best, the woman who made the comment completely misunderstands the ethnic category and is making incorrect assumptions based on appearance. At worst, it’s a terrible back-handed compliment that suggests that my education and success mean I am not “really” part of an ethnic minority, which highlights how well I’ve done but dismisses my self-identification and deeply insults my people.

Let’s get this first theory straight: “Hispanic” and “Latino” refer to a cultural background, usually meaning recent or not so recent origins in Spanish-speaking parts of the world. Here’s what it doesn’t mean: any particular appearance. For hundreds of years, Latin America has contained lots of different racial groups and many people have various mixes of those groups in their ancestry. Grouping all these people together is based on their shared language, history and some cultural characteristics. In the United States, the category “Hispanic”/”Latino” can be useful to distinguish the particular experiences of these people within the larger culture of the country.

And while it is not defined by a particular racial group, there are many ways in which being Latino in the United States can be an incredibly racialized experience. Many Latinos in the United States, whatever their specific background, do not look totally European (though some do). Most speak Spanish (or maybe their parents or grandparents do). Depending on where they or their ancestors are from, they may have unique traditions and perspectives. All these factors (and others) easily mark them as “Other” to those who are suspicious of anyone they perceive as an outsider. They don’t care that Latino isn’t a racial group. So maybe she just thought I seemed a little tan, not truly dark enough or different enough from her to consider anything but white. Not great, but more of a mix up than an insult.

I’d love to assume that this case of mistaken identity was simple ignorance, but interestingly, two different white people independently suggested a more obnoxious explanation. Both my mother and my friend’s mother thought maybe I didn’t count as Latina to this woman because I seem too educated and too successful to be representative of Hispanic people. I am proud of my hard-earned educational and professional accomplishments. But let me perfectly clear: White people don’t own academic excellence and career success. Doing well does not mean “becoming white.”

Don’t get me wrong: There is such a thing as strategically assimilating or code switching in difficult situations, but that doesn’t change who a person is. As my friend’s mother bluntly and sardonically concluded when she heard what was said about me: “It’s because she’s smart.” For too many people, “Hispanic” calls up a low-achieving stereotype, and since I don’t fit that, they don’t see me as really Latina.

But I know that I am a Latina. I know who I come from, and I know who I am. Latinas are still Latinas when they achieve. Latinas are people, with as many combinations of personalities, inclinations, and goals as there are Latinas because each of us is unique. Latinos are underrepresented in leadership and economic success in this country, so when we overcome inequities, please give us credit for getting there.

And don’t assume that we get ourselves there because we want to be “basically white.” We’re there because we have just as much capacity to accomplish as anyone else and so much to contribute.

I am smart. I am knowledgeable and credentialed. I am doing great work. I am an up-and-coming professional with excellent prospects.

I am Latina.