By Mary Tipper, WOW Dems Communications Volunteer

Just a couple weeks ago, the Texas Democratic Party held its 2020 state convention. Due to COVID-19, this year’s convention was conducted online. One of the major themes was that Texas is in play this November. Because Texas is the biggest battleground state in the country, and Donald Trump cannot win without Texas’ 38 electoral votes, our convention was watched closely across the country. In turn, the Texas Democratic Party shattered digital fundraising records, raising more than $1.5 million over the course of the convention!

Throughout the week, there were several great training sessions, panels and general sessions featuring state and national Democratic leaders. In the aftermath of the recent Black lives lost, there was also a sense of deep sadness; the convention featured many moving tributes.

My favorite event of the week was “Women Doing The Work,” sponsored by Annie’s List and moderated by Ashley Cheng, co-host of The Rabble Podcast.

The panel consisted of four strong, progressive Texas women in leadership positions:

The women spoke of their drive to help people, how they ended up where they are, and the challenges they encountered along the way. According to Royce, it’s no accident that women, especially women of color, have been the backbone of the Democratic party and drivers of progressive change in this country forever. Women are the ones doing the work, yet we are underrepresented. While we need more women in office, the average woman candidate is asked to run SEVEN times before she does. Why is this?

All four panelists said they wanted to serve the public but were confused about where to start. Royce said this is by design: women aren’t supposed to “find the door” to enter politics.

Enter Annie’s List.

Annie’s List – like WOW Dems – is a Texas organization that recruits, trains, and supports progressive women seeking office at both the state and local levels. Royce said Annie’s List works to “demystify the process of accessing those spaces of power.”

According to Annie’s List, 80% of the Texas legislature is made up of men, which means men are making the laws that affect women: reproductive rights, equal pay, and sexual harassment, to name a few. If we keep electing women at the rate at which we’ve been electing women, it will take 99 years before we have equal representation.

Another reason we, as women, tend to need a push is that we tend to be so hard on ourselves. We tend to suffer from what Dyana called “imposter syndrome.” Women often feel if men have already signed up to do the job, maybe they aren’t needed.

Attempting to balance family with political life – long hours and demanding work – puts an extra burden on women. On top of that, we deal with racism, sexism, and classism, even within our own movement. All four panelists discussed how they encountered these issues growing up. Dyana, for instance, grew up in a low-income/working-class and mostly Latino neighborhood while attending school in an affluent, white neighborhood. She saw two very different systems based on where you are raised, who your family is, and the color of your skin. Gender was an additional barrier for her. She felt that although she always worked hard, that hard work did not translate the same as it did for the more privileged.

One thing that all four women credit with giving them the confidence and push they needed to become leaders is the strong network of women they built around them. Mentorship was important to them, and they are all paying it forward by mentoring young women trying to find their own paths.

To wrap up the session, Ashley asked each of the panelists what advice they would give their teenage selves if they could go back in time. These were their answers:

  • Dyana: Believe in yourself and dream bigger. It’s not impossible.
  • Devan: Enjoy the journey more. We change constantly. We can’t lose the joy of doing what we are doing. Move slower and savor.
  • Natalie:
    • You think of your journey of success as linear, it is not – you can have setbacks and continue to grow.
    • Speak up for what you want.
    • Wear your heart on your sleeve. Do what feels right.
  • Royce: It’s going to be OK. It seems like every decision is cataclysmically important. If you keep going and do it with integrity and courage, it’s going to be OK.

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WOW Dems’ primary purpose is to help elect Democratic women. We do that through recruiting, endorsing, and supporting promising candidates and through regular communication with the public about elections and issues. Help us change the statistics – help us elect more women.

When you join WOW Dems, your membership dues go directly to supporting the Democratic women WOW Dems endorses. Join now, join a committee, and let’s get the work done!