DC Dispatch

Politics have always been a theme in my life. Born a month after Nixon left the White House, I wanted, like many American girls born in the mid 1970s, to be the 1^st woman president. Although I had an unhealthy sense of personal responsibility in global affairs, somewhere between the Iran-Contra hearings and the Starr Report, I lost interest in pursuing any kind of life in that world. It seemed the message from Washington was more ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK rather than WELCOME for girls, women, and their issues.

However, being here for the first time since 1999, I thought it would be appropriate to report two things that will hopefully make an impact on the lives of girls in America. Firstly, on March 11, President Obama signed an Executive order creating the White House Council on Women and Girls. The purpose is to make each department consider the needs and effects of their policies on girls and women. It is a net cast wide, but ideologies can be changed over time–someone has to be brave enough to take the first step. We are keenly watching this space to see what they are able to accomplish.

Secondly, on October 14, H.R. 1700–The National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) Act of 2009–passed in the House of Representatives. This will allow the NWHM to purchase federal land at 12th and Independence to build a women’s history museum. On October 29, S. 2129 was introduced in the Senate with 19 bi-partisan co-sponsors. Send a note to your senators via the NWHM site in support of this bill.

It is an important first step towards women becoming as important as airplanes and dinosaurs on the National Mall.