BROOKINGS – LEAD is a new political organization that has made women and families its mission, according to Cory Ann Ellis, co-founder and organizer of the Brookings chapter. She is also a member of the LEAD South Dakota board.
LEAD (Leaders Engaged & Determined) wants to equip women to have a voice in the political process, all the way from knowing how to contact elected officials, to understanding what bills are coming up for a vote, to running for office themselves.
“We want women to be involved in politics at all stages and in all methods that they feel comfortable,” Ellis said. “We do this through creating a community through advocacy efforts, education and candidacy recruitment.”
LEAD is registered in South Dakota as a political non-profit, “but we are non-partisan,” she stressed.
“We have no affiliation with a political party,” Ellis said, but they do support topics, especially those that “affect positive change for women and families.”
Sparking a beginning
LEAD started about a year ago: a one-year anniversary event is planned for Saturday in Sioux Falls.
“A group of women got together. They decided we needed better representation in politics and they created this organization,” Ellis said.
“I think the main catalyst was the elections last year and the poor representation of women within the election process,” she said. “We know that if women run, they are voted in, but I believe we have a very small percentage in South Dakota of women running and therefore serving.”
LEAD wants more women to be involved in whatever way they are comfortable, from writing letters, advocating, sitting in on council meetings or legislative sessions, or speaking about a law or bill in that session, Ellis said.
“We would love ultimately for more women to run (for office), but we want them to be involved at all stages,” she said.
LEAD is not just for women, Ellis pointed out.
“We have men in our group. It’s people who are advocating for women; their friends, they’re allies of women,” she said.
What they stand for
The five core values are inclusion, civility, action, social justice and empowerment.
“All of our values are non-partisan values and promoting women and families is a non-partisan issue,” Ellis said. “We will look at everything through the lens of LEAD and say, ‘Is this going to empower women and families? Is this going to affect positive change for women and families?’ And if it will, then, as an organization, we can educate and mobilize accordingly.”
One of the bills LEAD supported was one allowing midwives to be licensed in the state.
“This gives women a lot more opportunity through the birthing process, and not just women, but families,” Ellis pointed out.
Another example was the adoption bill, “that, unfortunately in my opinion, passed, that allowed organizations who work with adoptions and foster care to discriminate based on the religious make-up of those families,” Ellis said.
“We have one of the lowest, poorest counties in the United States, and we should be doing everything we can to place those children into loving homes, no matter their religious preference, but (our legislators) voted against that in South Dakota,” Ellis said.
Making a change
They have a plan to make changes.
“We know, for example, that women don’t apply for jobs or political positions until they feel like they are overqualified for them,” Ellis said. “We want women to participate, and if we want women to participate, we need to educate them so they feel comfortable understanding what is being brought forward and therefore can have an opportunity to speak up effectively. So, we have a lot of education opportunities.”
They have three events a month: one each to educate, take action and participate in a social exchange.
Topics include public speaking, government 101, opportunities in the agricultural community, different organizations, such as PFLAG; and professor Nathan Ziegler speaking on diversity.
One event LEAD supports – and that is close to Ellis’ own heart – is the Women in Military presentation held at the Swiftel Center on Nov. 11.
“I’m prior service; I served eight years. My husband is a vet who retired after 20 (years). Our son is currently serving on active duty in Guantanamo,” Ellis explained.
“We attend these events quite regularly,” and she’s noticed some things. “They typically will say servicemen, not service members. When they pin the veterans when you walk in, they don’t ask if I am service, they ask if my husband is and ignore me.
“So, this is our way of saying, ‘Look, women contribute, as well,’” she added.
LEAD attended the Farmers Market last month and gave out free pocket Constitutions and had a game where people got to guess which branch of the service does what job.
“That was really fun, we gave out 45 pocket Constitutions that day,” Ellis said.
Sometimes something very simple can make a huge difference.
One of the organizations they have supported was a group from Augustana University that collected feminine hygiene products for girls on the reservations. The girls were missing school because they had nothing to use for their periods.
“We took about 10 bags of product to Sioux Falls and delivered them to the Augie group,” Ellis said. “We make sure our members are aware of those opportunities to donate, to advocate, so now that we know that that’s happened, our members are now empowered.”
To find out more
LEAD can be found at facebook.com/groups/LEADBrookingsSD, which has a “ton of information for our members,” Ellis said. They can also be reached at LEADSouthDakota.org, or LEADSoDAK@gmail.com
“We believe that by putting women into that political process, by them being active, there is going to be positive change; there’s going to be a voice for women and they are therefore going to get the services that they need,” Ellis said.
Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.
Photos by Cory Ann Ellis.
