I’m not one to consider myself well versed in politics. I probably couldn’t even tell you who Kylie Jenner is dating right now, let alone what’s happening in the 14th congressional district. The last time I picked up a newspaper was to lay it on my dining room table to paint canvases over. I’m ashamed to admit it, but it is something I need to get better at. So, the last time I was at an airport, I opted for Elle magazine and was pleasantly surprised by an article about Representative Jackie Speier, and let me tell you, she is one cool lady. Actually, that’s an understatement. Rep. Jackie Speier invents the term boss. She is a representative from the 14th district of California, consistently working to advance the rights of women, people of color, and LGBTQ+.
Rep. Speier is resilient. Early in her career she worked with congressman Leo Ryan. When she was 28 years old, she went with Ryan to Jonestown to investigate a cult that was sweeping the west coast by storm. She writes about her near-death experience in her book, Undaunted. She and Ryan were going to investigate the nature of the cult and determine the severity of the location. In a bone-chilling turn of events, she witnessed first-hand the murders that happened to so many people on the day that many ‘drank’ the kool-aid. She made it out of Jonestown with 5 gunshot wounds and a newfound passion for human rights advocacy. Unfortunately, Ryan was not as fortunate to survive the massacre.
(Jim Schollaert, Jackie Speier and Congressman Leo Ryan, photo courtesy of Politico.com)
Her resilience doesn’t stop there though. After her experience in Jonestown, she attempted to fill Ryan’s seat in congress. Losing that race, she instead worked smaller, beating a 20 year incumbent for a seat in San Mateo County’s board of supervisors, the youngest person to ever be elected to that seat. She continued her outstanding political career, working her way to supervisor of San Mateo County, running for Lieutenant, then finding her seat in the House of Representatives in 2008. She remains in that seat, killing the game.
Since coming into the House of Representatives, she has been a game changer for women across America. Most notably, in 2016 she introduced the Federal Accountability for Sexual Harassers bill. This bill introduced a sense of accountability for federally funded employers to crack down on sexual harassment, specifically in STEM fields where sexual harassment occurs far too often in such a male-dominated field. This bill is STILL being debated on and Speier is fighting for it(you can too, by contacting your local representative, here).
Speier is a woman for all of us. She spoke out during the #MeToo movement about the man on capitol hill that sexually harassed her when she was working for Ryan. She is truly outspoken with grace and led the way as a woman in congress to be seen and heard. Introducing and passing yet another bill that tackles sexual harassment in congress– not allowing the harassers in Congress to use taxpayer’s dollars to pay for settlements. And to put a cherry on top of all her work for women’s rights, she spoke on the floor of congress about her own abortion in work to maintain a women’s right to choose.
(Photo Courtesy of Jackie Speier via Twitter)
What isn’t there to love about Jackie Speier? Aside from all her work for women’s rights, she also advocates for gun control, the environment, urban terrorism, same-sex marriage, trans rights, and so much more. She is an author, a mother, a spouse, and an upstanding person. Learning about Jackie Speier has not only made me want to be a better person and a bigger advocate, but it also gives me hope for the future of our society that there are people like Jackie Speier in this world to fight for us.