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RUNNING WITH MY GIRLS Event Overview by Abby

by Melinda Raebyne June 2, 2022 0

This article was written by Meaningful Movies High School Intern, Abby.

People often feel powerless to create change, yet this dilemma is precisely why doing that exact thing is a necessity to progress, especially for marginalized groups. The Meaningful Movies Project in collaboration with Fix Democracy explored the change that disadvantaged individuals can bring to the political theatre with the documentary film, “Running With My Girls.”

A vast amount of people struggle to find faces in politics that they want to support. They have grown tired of seeing the same type of politician, typically white males from wealthy backgrounds with questionable pasts. Currently, scandals seem to taint every politician, forcing people to settle with the lesser of two evils and to sacrifice their true values.

“Running With My Girls,” directed and produced by Rebekah Henderson, explores the actions required to make systemic change, the importance of representation, the challenges that women of color face in politics, and the inequalities of the current political system, specifically the large role that money plays in each election. It shows the importance of people educating themselves on politics and the individuals they chose to support, for every vote counts and can make a difference.

The film features Veronica Barela, Dr. Lisa Calderón, Candi CdeBaca, Shontel Lewis, and Shayla Richard as they run together in Denver’s 2020 election. The production delivers an unfiltered look at the election process for these women, exposing the struggles and discrimination that women of color face in this field. It reveals that success in the political theatre often equates to funding from large corporations, something that many minorities struggle to get. Without this money, people turn to less effective campaigning methods, such as walking from door to door as opposed to airing on large news broadcasting platforms. Money’s influence in politics creates additional obstacles for certain demographics, causing their voices to go unheard.

After the showing of “Running With My Girls,” the Meaningful Movies group hosted a community discussion with spotlight panelists Representative Mia Gregerson and Port of Tacoma Commissioner Kristin Ang. They covered their experience as women in the electoral process and their reasons for getting involved. The women emphasized the importance of having a “why,” or an overarching purpose, and stay true to it. As voters, we must learn to understand the “why” of each politician and use it to make informed voting decisions.  It is important that people take deliberate actions to avoid falling prey to misinformation online and learn about politicians who may look different from them but have similar values and aspirations for the future. If you or a friend is interested in watching or rewatching “Running With My Girls,” more information is available at the film’s website, https://www.runningwithmygirls.com/.

Resources: 

Women in Office Now – FREE training program for women thinking about or planning to run for office – https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/won

• Next Session: Campaign Finance on May 31st @ 6 pm – w/ guest speaker Scott Haley with the PDC – Register @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/won-modules/module-07-campaign-finance

Representative Mia Gregerson – https://housedemocrats.wa.gov/gregerson/

Tacoma Port Commissioner Kristen Ang- https://www.portoftacoma.com/commission/kristin-ang