Ask Emily 1 — Entrance Into Civic and Political Life
Emily LaDouceur is a mother of two boys and Executive Editor for The Good Men Project. After working in higher education administration for over a decade, she left the field to dedicate her life to dismantling the systems and internalized biases that oppress all of us. LaDacouer is a very active and valued member of the team at The Good Men Project. I decided to reach out, as she has been running in politics, recently. She is part of the unprecedented trend in terms of the number of women entering into civic and political life in the United States. It is exciting. Also, it is educational. She agreed to take some time for short interview sessions, where this represents the first one. Enjoy.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Why did you decide to enter into politics?
Emily LaDouceur: For many years, I had been engaged in the political process, volunteering on numerous campaigns…even shaking Obama’s hand after a day of canvassing in Westchester, PA in 2008. In those times, I never saw myself as someone who could even run for office. It was only after watching so many women stepping up to run for office, many of them winning, that I said to myself, “I could do this. I SHOULD do this.”
Jacobsen: In the US, post-November 2016, we see the record numbers of women entering into civic and political life in America. Why?
LaDouceur: We’ve been left out of the political process for too long. Women are waking up more and more every day, realizing our own oppression and unpacking our internalized sexism. We feel compelled to act! If not us, then who?
Jacobsen: How did you become part of the asynchronous, grassroots move on the part of women and mothers to become civically and politically more engaged — in leadership roles — than ever?
LaDouceur: I don’t think it’s been asynchronous at all. Women have been the strongest organizers on the ground since the dawn of time. We’ve just shifted our focus from propping up male candidates to elevating ourselves, encouraging each other to run and beginning the process of grooming young women for leadership roles. Succession planning will be key for us to sustain this movement.
Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Emily.
Image Credit: Emily LaDouceur.
