Also yesterday, Women Progressive Activists gathered at the home of District 7 County Commissioner Kristin Judge. This was our annual summer meeting with potluck sides. State and County candidates were among the attendees who each got a chance to talk about elections, prison, economic and education issues among the areas in which we are active locally.
One important thing we can all do for Michigan is vote to nominate the two Democratic State Supreme Court candidates in the non-partisan section of the Novemeber ballot.
There will be more information on that after the primary, so I hope voters will first do something for Ann Arbor and Washtenaw--vote for me so I can be on the November ballot, too!
This morning I biked along the Packard edge of District 11,
to join the Bike to Work Day rally at Ann Arbor Farmers Market. It wasn't raining when I got up, but five minutes after my two wheels hit the road, the light rain refreshed just like a cup of coffee. There was real coffee, fruit salad and delicious breakfast bagels and cakes for a pretty good turnout of riders and exhibitors, considering the damp.
Mayor Hieftje made a short official welcome with his summary of bicycle amenities to come. Prizes were awarded. I won the prize for having the oldest bike there. My bike won the comment, "That's an original paint job!" I gave myself the prize for being the only candidate [other than the Mayor] to show up.
It was great to talk with other riders and folks like the WBWC. As things wound down, 6 other riders and I joined Tom on his "Conference Bike" to move it down the street to its garage. No special riding skills were needed, but pedaling face-to-face in a circle takes getting used to!
I was already used to the light rain, so I took a long route home for lunch, through neighborhoods of District 11. Thankfully, all of my biking concluded before this evening's thunderstorms.
Today is mother's day and the 50th anniversary of the Pill. What a remarkable and compelling coincidence! Because of the dedication, knowledge and resources of one woman, women of the world have been empowered to plan and support their families. This woman was Katharine Dexter McCormick. As an activist for women's suffrage and co-founder of the League of Women Voters, KDM knew that getting the vote was not enough. KDM assured her friend Margaret Sanger that the dream of a "magic pill" for planned parenthood would come to reality. Independently, KDM personally funded and oversaw the development of the Pill. Born in Dexter, Michigan, washtenaw County, Mrs. McCormick was 85 when the FDA approved the contraceptive pill, created through her efforts. Without fanfare, this one woman changed the world for the betterment of all.
Comment posted to Mulhern's Reading for Leading blog:
Words like ‘shift’ and ‘transform’ are good for “de-learning” what might not be effective or sufficient anymore. How often have I heard “We tried that [10 or 15] years ago and it didn’t work.” Well, what have we tried recently? Why keep beating our heads against the masonry? It’s no fun (it hurts!), and I don’t think we have the time to waste our energy, or wait for change and solutions to climb the hierarchy. To paraphrase, at every level, we are the change. (B. Obama)
Here are some examples. Washtenaw Sheriff Clayton is leading a transformation of his department by engaging those on the front lines of human services and justice. The shift in thinking is beginning to yield results.
Grass roots environmental activism got Ann Arbor city officials to stop providing plastic-bottled water at public meetings, since award-winning city water is always available. It was a shift in thinking that cut costs and increases awareness of the environment at every meeting.
The de facto obsolete idea of “building our way out of congestion” has fallen to new standards like “four lanes to three” that make local roads more efficient and promote safe alternative transportation, at the same time that funds to expand the roadways have all but dried up. Shifting our thinking about transportation also connects to health management, land use, density and sustainability.
As a candidate for County Commissioner, biking and walking streets I don’t often go down, I’m looking forward to more shifts like these.
And let's not confuse "de-learning" with "destruction". The shift-andtransformation part of learning (or leading) doesn't just tear away the status quo, it opens gates to imagination and great results. We hear a lot about the benefits of entrepreneurship. In these basic terms of everyday leadership, trying something that might work under very changed circumstances, we get more progress for everyone.
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