Dear Friends:
My father taught agriculture and when I was four he coached a young man who won the national public speaking contest sponsored by the Future Farmers of America. While my memories are vague I’m told that I was a constant presence at all the coaching sessions (another form of babysitting, I suppose) and in short order had heard the speech so many times that I had memorized whole passages of it and could be found reciting them during the course of a day.
Today I only remember the first line of the speech which I find apropos to this letter. It was a question: “Future Farmers why are we here?”
No doubt there will be as many answers to that question within the context of The Farm Team as there are women who will respond to the call. I can only give my answer.
I envision a Virginia where women are represented in elective office in unprecedented numbers: women who are listeners and learners, women who value connection, women who do their homework on issues, who are bridge builders, community builders and coalition builders.
I envision a Virginia where we begin to change our language about politics. Now we talk about war rooms, battles, fights. When I was running for Governor one respected commentator who’s a friend of mine wrote a piece and at the end concluded that the critical issue on which the election would turn was whether or not “Mary Sue Terry could mud wrestle with the best of them.” Language like that contains a terrible bias against women. I obviously could not mud wrestle with the best of them but then I never wanted to.
What would happen if we began to think of running for office more like applying for a job? I had a friend once who was in the furniture business and I asked him how things were going. “Well,” he said, “they say we’re in a recession but I’m not going to participate in it.” People can talk the language of war room, fights and battles all day long, but women don’t have to “participate in it.” The language we use can be a predictor of the behaviors that we see. There will be plenty of time once elected to “fight every single day” on behalf of others.
I’ve been blessed these last several years to live on the farm I grew up on. It was very moving for me several weeks ago to see cars pull up in my driveway from virtually all points of the Commonwealth. It was even more moving to see and feel the energy and commitment of the women who would later join in conversation. And by the time they drove away an idea was born.
We are at the beginning but we have a dream. Everyone knows that elbow grease coupled with financial resources will be necessary to see that dream begin to take shape and become reality. But no one doubts that the time is right. So many of our fellow citizens are hurting and afraid. We can help them. It’s the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do on behalf of the future we all will share and I believe it’s our duty to do it.
It’s been twenty three years since a woman was elected to state wide office in Virginia. I trust you agree that’s long enough and that together we can make history that will bring greening to our cherished Commonwealth through the broader participation of her daughters. I’m ready to help. Are you?
With warm regards from your fellow farmer,
Mary Sue Terry
2 Responses to “Won't you join me?”
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To all the ladies who cherish the Commonwealth,
As someone who was born and raised in Virginia, I need to bring something to your attention that could have very negative, lasting ramifications and has already become a political hot potato. And our future leaders and lawmakers will be forced to address it sooner rather than later.
Right now the state’s Coal and Energy Commission is determining how to conduct a study of uranium mining and milling. (A bill that proposed such a study was tabled this past spring by the state’s House Rules Committee.)
As women, it is particularly important that we educate ourselves about this issue and make some stands to protect our children, grands, great-grands and generations that follow. The gift of good health and uncontaminated land and water is a priceless one.
Very recent studies are actually adding layers of concern rather than alleviating them, according to a Harvard-educated professor from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. For instance, Northern Arizona University biochemist Diane Stearns recently discovered uranium damages DNA as a heavy metal, independent of its radioactive properties. Another study indicates uranium has estrogenic effects.
And a study in progress (which looks at community exposure) indicates preliminary results show increased risk of kidney disease with environmental exposures such as proximity to certain mining features (e.g. shafts).
We have heard that the more modern mining process which is considered by the industry to be more “benign” (in-situ leaching) would not be able to be used in Virginia. And to add surface/hard-rock mining of this type of material to a climate prone to high wind warnings and flash flooding, I can’t imagine there would be any way to assure residents that mining dust could be contained at all times.
I would encourage all women to educate themselves about this, but especially those who will be speaking on behalf of constituents. The promise of jobs is tempting to economically-depressed areas of Virginia, but in the long run who will be paying for remediation and the monitoring of mill tailings containment (which would have to be done forever). And what happens if a uranium company goes bankrupt? Who pays then? All these questions will need to be addressed — and not just by company officials who contend a study will show this is “safe” to do.
What is “safe” and how would you define it for your families? Don’t let this slip under your radar, please.
Thanks again for your attention to this issue!
Dear Mary Sue,
I hope this message gets to you. I do not have your home address. I applaud your efforts re encouraging women to run for office. Great article in the Roanoke Times.
During the last House of Delegates race, I encouraged and supported Peggy Frank’s candidacy for HD7. She lost by a few points. I hope that you, and the Farm Team, will get in touch with her and encourage her to run again.
Let me know when you get this message and I will get up with you with more details.
Thanks,
Jim Shuler
House of Delegates, HD 12
[email address removed - don't feed the spammers]