Historically I have not been interested in politics. For one, I didn't have the time and for two, I didn't believe that my voice or even my vote mattered. So I focused on raising my family, working, going to school, and mostly doing what I could to survive. I voted in presidential elections and have considered myself an independent, since I have not voted straight ticket. So what changed for me?
I am a lifelong resident of Muscatine. I have raised my family here, my youngest just graduated from Muscatine High School this year. This is my community and my roots run deep. Although I am doing fairly well currently, it was not easy getting here. Growing up in poverty I have been involved with the system in various ways, so it is not surprising that my chosen profession ended up being social work. According to the World Population Review, Muscatine has a 17.38% poverty rate.
In addition to poverty rates, according to the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Study the region that Muscatine County is in has the highest rates of adults reporting four or more adverse childhood experiences in Iowa. https://www.iowaaces360.org/what-are-aces.html
If the system works for you then you have no reason to question it.
My parents come from working class families, so we didn’t have a lot growing up. My dad worked a lot of different jobs and always kept a roof over our heads and fed. My mom was a stay at home mom, who valued education and taught us so much that by the time we started kindergarten we were academically ahead. We had strict rules, discipline, and it was important to my parents they instill the importance of Christian values.
Both of my parents come from poverty. They experienced a lot of trauma in their upbringing. My mom grew up in a home that was built from a train car, because my grandpa worked for the railroad and my grandparents had ten children. Both of my parents' dads’ were alcoholics. My parents did better than their parents, because each generation grew up with different realities and beliefs. I have done better than my parents, but most of my family myself included have struggled with mental illness, instability, addiction, and relationship issues as adolescents and adults. It can take seven generations to heal and break the cycle. Whether you call it complex post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the impact of living in poverty, or generational trauma…you can not thrive without having access to your basic needs.
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Deciding to run for a political office came out of frustration from witnessing people I care about fall victim to our systems. Decisions that are being made at the local and state level have a direct impact on the work I do as a mental health professional and what services are available in our community. I know first hand the additional obstacles that poverty creates. Throughout my life I have benefited from and relied on having access to properly funded public schools, low income housing, food assistance, quality health care, WIC, daycare assistance, and affordable community college.
Now I am a provider of social services. I have watched our state representatives reduce funding to our public schools and allow state funding to support private schools, knowing our public schools are already underfunded. Our unions have been stripped of the ability to assist with collective bargaining unless it has to do with salary. I see medical professionals being ignored when they weigh in on reproductive health care, how to provide quality care, and what professional license standards should be. Our legislators are ignoring the science that supports legalization of marijuana due to harm reduction and regulatory implications. I see mental illness and addiction being criminalized. A conviction can significantly limit an individuals employment, housing, and education opportunities. I see financial gain and personal interest being prioritized over human lives.
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