ELECTIONS 2024: Make History With Me for Women’s History Month (MARIE SHIMADA)
https://voterinterests.com/tag/marie-shimada/Marie Shimada (D-Freeland), running for Island County Commissioner in District 1, posted this on her Facebook page on Sat., Mar. 9, 2024. She also sent this message by email on Fri., Mar. 22, 2024.
Friends,
It’s Women’s History Month, and I’m going to talk about race. Why? Because if elected, I will become the first-ever woman of color on the Board of Island County Commissioners, as a mixed-race individual who is both Hispanic and Asian American.
It’s not just that. Before I announced my candidacy, I went to the County offices and requested records of whether there had ever been any person of color on the Board of Island County Commissioners. The administrative staff kindly printed sheets of commissioner names dating back to the 1800s before saying, “Marie, there’s no indication we’ve ever had a commissioner of color.”
It’s 2024, and Team Marie has the opportunity to make history in Island County. Why is this issue important? Because research suggests that children of color experience mental flexibility leading to more creative problem-solving skills in life, priming them for leadership opportunities and better relations with others.
Helen Price Johnson made history as the first woman commissioner here. Let’s make history again, friends.
Representation matters.
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