Mardi Gras and Gumbo — Loyola University, New Orleans

Elect Her facilitator Chonya Davis Johnson discusses women’s political leadership with a group of students from Loyola University, New Orleans.

As I arrived on St. Charles Avenue to facilitate Elect Her—Campus Women Win at Loyola University, I could not help but reminisce about my college days in my hometown of New Orleans.  It was truly a surreal moment and one I would never forget as the Elect Her facilitator.  Our meeting was nestled in the heart of the campus in the Dana Student Center. I enthusiastically went to the Audubon room and setup my Elect Her presentation. I was ready like a kid at their first Mardi Gras parade. I gave them all the beads and doubloons I had in my sack.

On Saturday morning, the students walked in with a look of anticipation, excitement and eagerness, ready to learn more about women in politics.  I opened with a brief circle meet and greet and they each shared what they had hoped to get out of the session. One young woman, Joilyn Hollies, stated she was not at all interested in running for office, but she would certainly work behind the scenes to get women elected. Interestingly, Joilyn won our campaign simulation exercise with the help of a male student. She said, “teamwork is the best work and I can do this all over again for a woman.”

The presenters were deliciously delightful like a hot bowl of Gumbo!

The tasteful & talented Judge Regina Bartholomew shared candidly the realities of running for office as a woman in the State of Louisiana. She laughed at the audacity of people to judge her status as an unmarried woman and sighed at the thoughts of naysayers writing her off because she lacked political clout at the time. She shared with the attendees how she developed a coalition of supporters and how she believed in herself. Judge Bartholomew shared how she was actually quite thankful for not winning an early congressional race, due to the demands it would have placed on her growing family. However, the loss did not deter her from running for office again. The next time she took her knowledge and skills into better consideration and has since been elected a very compassionate Judge.

The poised & purposeful communicator Renee Lapeyrolerie opened with a series of stories that helped shape her career in politics. Renee Lapeyrolerie understood the importance of messaging from her years of experience in Louisiana politics. It was great to get her firsthand knowledge about building a message around YOU and have a solid vision for the future. She serves as Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Director.

Students Michael Morin, Haley Humiston and Jasmine Barnes shared their unique experiences of serving students at Loyola. I was very impressed with their level of commitment to their roles as elected student representatives.  The one statement that resonated with each of them was “You must get out and meet students – old school style – attend meetings, parties, network and build a base of supporters within your sorority/fraternity.”

Lastly, Loyola University representatives Dr. Karen Reichard and Kristen Lee were super supportive and well organized. The wonderful AAUW President Debbie Freda was helpful and fabulous she gave both winners a nice book.

This post was written by Elect Her—Campus Women Win facilitator Chonya Davis Johnson