Here at Agate we’re no stranger to of-the-moment books, but it is hard to think of one more timely than Vote Her In by Rebecca Sive. Last Tuesday, a panel discussion hosted by YWCA Metropolitan Chicago at WeWork Kinzie––a coworking space in River North––kicked off a flurry of events surrounding the book’s publication.
Rebecca was joined by Julia Stasch, former president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and Kim Foxx, state’s attorney for Cook County, for a discussion and Q&A moderated by Dorri McWhorter, CEO of YWCA Metropolitan Chicago. The rousing conversation covered a lot of ground—from how the impact of electing a woman to the presidency will be felt throughout all levels of government and society to why it is so important that women in leadership positions lead as women rather than conforming to the norms that have historically stifled their voices. The panel also discussed how to prepare for the inevitable backlash that will come once a woman is finally elected (Spoiler alert: it is clear from the reaction to the 2016 US presidential election that the backlash will be sizeable). As Julia mentioned at the start of the panel, we have already elected a woman president via the popular vote, so the ground has been laid. And, as Kim later pointed out, when little girls tell us they want to be the “first” woman president, we should tell them we don’t have time for that—because the time to vote her in is NOW.
Excited attendees gather to discuss political strategies and line up to get their copies signed by author Rebecca Sive.
Upcoming events:
November 7, 2018: Book signing and conversation with Dean Katherine Baicker and Rebecca Sive hosted by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy at Ida Noyes Hall Library in Chicago, Illinois, from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.
November 1, 2018: Discussion and signing at Women and Children First in Chicago, Illinois, at 6:30 pm.
October 29, 2018: Book signing hosted by Chicago Now at Rebellion Rising in Chicago, Illinois, from 6:15 to 8:30 pm.
From left: moderator Dorri McWhorter, Rebecca Sive, Kim Foxx, and Julia Stasch.