The day after last year’s presidential election was a rough one. It was worse than a hangover from three Negronis. Squashing panicky feelings was like an emotional game of whack-a-mole. The environment! Women’s rights! LGBTQ rights! The fate of immigrants! And refugees! On no, and healthcare! Nuclear war! Economic inequality! Are you panicking yet, too?
Unfortunately, my fears were not unfounded. Attacks on vulnerable people and land happen daily. With each nasty tweet, I fear we’re losing our ability to feel outrage.
When I launched The Rosé Collection earlier this year, I knew I wanted it to be a subversive product. Yes, let's all salve our wounds with rosé, but let's also change the world, shall we? We are still tiny business, so I knew I needed to find a cause that helps solve multiple problems.
Last January, a friend posted something on Facebook about She Should Run, a nonpartisan organization that helps train women run for office. I soon learned that women only hold about 20 percent of federal elected offices and 25 percent of statewide elected offices. In my own state, a woman has never run for governor. While I know electing more women to office is not a panacea for every ill that faces our country, having governing bodies that better represent our population can only help fix many of the problems our country faces.
Through a digital incubator, e-courses, and local in-person events, She Should Run teaches women the ins and outs of running for office and helps them overcome the barriers, many of them psychological, to entry. They also have a program in which you can encourage a woman you know to run.
The organization's message is getting out there. In the past year, they’ve enrolled over 15,000 people in their incubator. In my own life, I know three women who are running for office for the first time, including women who never thought of themselves as candidate material.
So far, through sales of The Rosé Collection, we have donated $745 to She Should Run. I’m thrilled to support this organization, and cheers to all of the women on the ballot for the first time this year. And with that, please don’t forget to vote! It’s the most important thing you can do to help support the change you want to see.