Finding My Voice
by Sheila B. Lalwani on April 15, 2009 in Features
You could say my path to the Oval Office Program began with a detour. On a characteristically sweltering August day in Delhi, I ventured into the city to help Democrats abroad raise money for Barack Obama. An event organizer whispered my marching orders: meet people and get them to give you their money. For three hours, I pushed bumper stickers, pins, and posters. I raised $21, a record for the day. But the real payoff came from listening to my fellow fundraisers.
“I went home to Atlanta,” one fundraiser said, “and people are engaged. It’s really nice.”
“I think we are going to win this one,” another woman replied.
“Shh – don’t jinx it!”
Everyone was excited about Obama. Absent from the conversation, though, was any talk about the lost prospect of a female American president. Women in other countries had already made history: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia; Mary Robinson in Ireland; the late Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan; Margaret Thatcher in England, and Indira Gandhi in India to name a few. When would the U.S. elect its first female president?
As a U.S.-based journalist, I spent a couple of years covering city mayors, county executive leaders, state senators and governors. Of all the politicians I have covered, only one was a woman. It is one of the haunting facts of my journalism career. People tried to get qualified women to run, but few were successful.
The Oval Office Program has given me the chance to explore my own viability as a candidate. It has been quite the experience. We attend bi-weekly training sessions led by riveting speakers, all with a “can do” attitude. Kate Coyne-McCoy spoke on the importance of fud-raising and networking; Ann Liston talked about campaign media, and David Bernstein talked about ways to reach out to the media. Other speakers focused on public speaking, the challenges of a loss, and how to get started.
For me, in particular, the experience has been invaluable. I’ve never really fit into a single box. Sometimes, I think the Democrats have it right. Other times, I think the Republicans get it. (It makes for interesting conversations with party diehards.) The program has given me a tool set for finding my own voice – a prerequisite to good politics and effective decision-making.
I have also met some of the most interesting and passionate women currently at Harvard. They are witty, compassionate, and very dedicated. It would not surprise me if the answer to my question – as to when the U.S. will elect its first female president – is this: whenever the woman sitting next to me decides to run.
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