June 15, 2009 Contact: Lara Cassell
For Immediate Release 212-261-4497 / lcassell@thewhitehouseproject.org
RANKING 37TH IN THE NATION FOR WOMEN IN POLITICS,
GEORGIA’S WOMEN STRIVE FOR CHANGE AT GEORGIA GO RUN
Over 155 Diverse Women to Attend Award-Winning Political Leadership Training
June 26th – 27th in Decatur
Atlanta, GA – Next Friday, over 155 diverse women from across Georgia will take the next step in their leadership by attending The White House Project’s award-winning Go Run political training program for women. Since the 2008 election, Georgia has dropped from 31st to 37th in the nation for women’s political representation – making the need for Georgia Go Run more critical than ever.
“As a young girl growing up in Georgia, the lack of women in positions of political leadership was apparent,” said Marie Wilson, President of The White House Project. “Decades later, the number of women leading in Georgia’s political arena remains at a dismal low. At this critical time in our nation’s history, we need to swell our leadership with fresh ideas and visions for change – and Go Run brings the voices of our nation’s underrepresented women to the halls of power.”
Despite the leadership of several prominent women – including Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders – women’s representation is perilously low in the Peach State. Georgia has never elected a woman to the U.S. Senate, and no women currently represent the state in Congress. Only seven of Georgia’s 56 State Senators are women.
This lack of women serving in the upper echelons of public office mirrors the dearth of women who are ready to fill the political pipeline at the local and regional levels of political leadership. Georgia Go Run addresses this shortfall by training women to run for office at all levels of government. Among this year’s participants are:
- Kimberly Mitchem-Rasmussen, a 32-year-old professional: “As a mother of two small children, active community volunteer, and small-business owner, time is not something I have a great deal of. Yet despite these obligations I know that it is essential to be a part of the political movement so that I can represent other women like me.”
- Anna Foote, a 47-year-old citizen activist: “As a woman born and raised in the inner city of Atlanta, I understand the needs of my community – from reliable public transit to early childhood education. That's why I am attending Georgia Go Run – to obtain the necessary skills to become an effective legislator on behalf of Georgia's children and communities.”
- Molly Ward, a 20-year-old student: “More often than not, women do not pursue political leadership because they are never asked. Encouraging young females to run for office will have a tremendous, positive impact on the political arena – and I hope to utilize the skills from Georgia Go Run not only to advance my own leadership, but to inspire other women to do the same.”
These women will join an impressive group of Georgia Go Run alumnae who have gone on to break barriers in the political arena, including Tangela Barrie, Superior Court Judge of Dekalb County, State Representative Dee Dawkins-Haigler, and current State Representative candidate Asha Jackson.
Through its regional offices across the country, The White House Project trains some of the most underrepresented women in our political system: in Georgia, 80% are women of color; 40% earn less than $30,000 a year; and 50% are under the age of 30.
Go Run utilizes the expertise of local and national leaders to provide the basic constructs of running for office, from campaign strategy, to fundraising, to communications. The 2009 program will feature Founder and President of The White House Project Marie C. Wilson; Georgia Supreme Court Justice Carol Hunstein; State Representative Stacey Abrams; State Representative Alisha Thomas Morgan; DeKalb District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming, and other prominent women leaders from across the state.
Georgia Go Run will take place at Agnes State College from June 26th – 27th in Decatur.
