Sharing the Mic, with Gloria & Each Other
๐๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ, ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ถ๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐๐ป ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐บ'๐ ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ.
My job included a few events. Some were closed door with another legend, Liz Carpenter, and I took her to Molly Ivins' infamously hi/lo final Friday parties, where veteran politicos, state and national leaders, and union leaders rubbed shoulders with songwriters and spoken word artists likeย Genevieve Van Cleve, who performed "Don't Y'all Miss Clinton?!" while a potluck of fried chicken, cheap red wine, and Vietnamese spring rolls littered gorgeous formal furniture in a Travis Heights bungalow. (We're so glad those walls can't talk!)
๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ค&๐๐. Understandably, people would ask her perspective, advice and wisdom on many things, including often times basically asking for the magic answer for whatever was plaguing us locally (for Texas women it's a lot!). Instead of pontificating or offering some platitude, ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ, "๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ถ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ถ๐ด," ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐๐ธ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐๐, ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ผ๐น๐ธ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐น๐๐ด ๐ถ๐ป. She trained us, with grace and empowerment, not to expect some shaman to come rescue us from a mountain on high.
Instead, ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐, ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ. This demonstration of "we are the ones we've been waiting for" has carried through in my work electing women, founding and funding companies, and otherwise backing people who are often "just" "moms," "volunteers," or "nerds" who can't take the status quo any longer or see a better way, and do something about it.
I remain immensely grateful to so many leaders like Gloria, past and present, well known and not, taking actions both big and small. No pressure of course! Like Ani D says, "๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป'๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐". ๐ข๐ฟ, ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ, "๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐'๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ผ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐๐ผ๐'๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ!"
Gloria, Dolly, we shall "Go, fight, win!" onward... โย
