5 minutes with Wendy Davis

Quick thoughts from Progress Iowa’s annual Holiday Party featuring Former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis

Last night, Progress Iowa held their annual Holiday Party at the Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona, IA. Former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis was the event’s featured speaker, a person I was very excited to hear.

Both Democrats and Republicans will recall that Davis made national headlines in 2013 when she filibustered anti-abortion legislation in the Texas State Senate. Davis spoke for an incredible 11 hours and managed to help prevent the passing of a particularly devastating piece of legislation.

At one point, a pair of sneakers were placed on the podium. Very fitting!

Before the speeches started, there was plenty of mingling, drinks (after all, we are democrats!), and good food. Roughly 30 mins before the speeches started, I noticed Davis herself join the fun. Nudging my co-workers next to me, I went into full fangirl mode and we quickly walked over to where she was standing.

After (awkwardly) hovering for a minute or two, she turned to us and introduced herself. We thanked her for coming and asked for a quick picture. Thankfully she obliged!

Kayla Day, Wendy Davis, myself, and Caroline Rainey at the Progress Iowa Holiday Party on Dec. 16, 2015. #alltheblondes

With our “meet and greet” mission accomplished, we were surprised when Davis turned back to us and struck up a conversation. She wanted to hear about what organizations we were with, if we had been to events like this before, and about being female democrats here in Iowa. Davis actually said she was “proud of us for being young, female democrats”. This was definitely the highlight of my night!

After we had taken our seats again, I was surprised at how empowered she had made me feel. I got the feeling that she was actually interested in what we had to say and that she was really listening during our short chat. Not the baloney small-talk a lot of well-known people pass out, but rather a real conversation. Her words made me feel like we were all helping row the same feminist boat; that our work here in Iowa mattered just as much as her work in Texas.

I thought the rest of the night, and Davis’s speech, was excellent. While the highlight for me will always be meeting Davis, overall it was a nice event by Progress Iowa; full of progressive people, delicious food, and great conversation!