Stephanie Schriock - Run to Win: Lessons in Leadership for Women Changing the World

Kamala Harris

We are at an inflection point in the history of our nation. At the time of this writing, our country is in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, thrusting families into a public health and economic crisis unlike any other weve seen in our lifetime. As businesses shutter across the country, millions of Americans who were already living paycheck to paycheck are now wondering how they are going to afford basic items like groceries. We are also grappling with the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others who have compelled us to protest and highlight the deep and systemic inequities that Black communities have faced in this country for far too long. Hate crimes against the Asian American community are on the rise as elected officials deliberately fan the flames of racism and use words meant to sow hate and division. And now we are concluding an election season, where we witnessed officials in certain states use this unprecedented crisis as a further excuse to suppress the right to vote. The American Dreamand our American democracyhave been on the line like never before.

That is why we all have a responsibility and a role in fighting for a nation with equal treatment, collective purpose, and justice for all. We need economic justice, environmental justice, health care justice, and, yes, justice for women. And, frankly, we know that when we lift up women, we lift up our children, we lift up our families, and we lift up our economy. All of society benefits. Unfortunately, today, there are not enough women, particularly women of color, seated at the decision-making table to make that change happen.

Im glad that you picked up this book, which contains such authentic and inspiring advice to create your own path to improve the world. The advice you are about to read is the same kind of advice that helped me succeed in my calling to build a career focused on fighting for the people. In fact, my mother used to say, Dont sit around and complain about things; do something. And by picking up this book, you are on the path to doing just that.

Running for office is one of the most powerful steps you can take to speak your truth and influence the world around you. When I decided to run for district attorney of San Francisco over fifteen years ago, it was because I saw so many problems that could be fixed and I believed that I could make the system work better for everyone, not just some. No one like me had served in the role before, but I was up for the challenge.

Running for office isnt glamorous work. I used to go to grocery stores using my ironing board as a standing desk while asking for peoples vote. As people would carry their groceries to their car, I would listen to them. I learned what mattered to them, what kept them up at night, and what kind of America they envisioned. And I didnt stop there; I met and spoke with anyone and everyone that I could, and a team of volunteers who became more like family helped me knock on doors and make calls around the clock. On Election Day, I won.

To be sure, a lot of peopleincluding some friendsdoubted I could win. I had people tell me that the odds were against me, that I didnt fit into the typical mold of a DA, and that I couldnt beat an established incumbent. Im not the first woman to hear that from the so-called experts. In fact, women across all fields hear the same doubts and questions about their qualifications and ability to lead. Those are the comments that make us consider what we know and the questions that make us wonder whether there will be support for our ideas. But heres the thing: I didnt listen.

If I had listened to what people told me was not possible, I wouldnt be where I am today. I wouldnt have had the opportunity to show little girls everywhere that someone like me could win, not only to become district attorney of a major city but to go on to become the first woman attorney general of California and only the second Black woman in history to serve as a US senator and, as of this writing, the first Black and Indian American woman to be on a major party ticket and be elected vice president of the United States of America. If the congresswomen who won in 2018 had listened to the naysayers, the power in the United States House of Representatives wouldnt have switched hands. If legends like Shirley Chisholm, Geraldine Ferraro, and Hillary Clinton had listened to the negativity, they wouldnt have followed the call to unapologetically crack the glass ceiling of putting a woman in the White House. Its time for you, reader, to turn inward and realize the strength that is already within you to change the world for the better.

As I wrote this foreword, I couldnt help but think of the 2017 Womens March. As I stood onstage and saw that inspiring sea of women, I marveled at our power. At what we can do when we come together to answer the question Who are we? with our values and our strength.

Many women decided to answer that call by running for office. In fact, in the first three or so years after Donald Trumps election, more than fifty thousand women reached out to EMILYs List for the first time, looking to run for office. Youll read more about that in this bookthose women include members of Congress, state legislators, women still planning their first run. These women are changing the country, and as more of them get elected, they are changing their communities and the face of power in this country. But this book is not just about running for office; its about using our strength in many ways to improve the world around us.