I'm Speaking and The Vote Collection

October 14, 2020

I was watching the VP Debate the other night with my 11 year old daughter. When Sen. Kamala Harris turned to Vice President Pence and said, “I’m speaking,” Jane Ellen quickly turned to me and asked, “You mean SHE can be our next Vice President?” I replied absolutely. In that moment, her world shifted. She just watched a woman stand up to bullying behavior on a world stage and win with strength and conviction. Jane Ellen now sees her possibilities in the future as endless and unlimited. Of course, as parents, we’ve told her the same thing, but to SEE a brilliant woman in a position of power stand up for herself just solidified her world view.

“I’m speaking.” A recent study (email me if you want citations) shows that male Supreme Court justices interrupt female SC justices 3 times more often than the reverse. And female SC justices are interrupted by male ATTORNEYS 3 times more often than male SC justices are. Other research is varied, but among 4 year old coed play dates, boys interrupt girls 3 times more often. The interruptions increase as the number of boys in a group increases. As a mom, I’m teaching the fantastic Jane Ellen to speak up and be heard. Stop the interruptions and let’s listen to what each other is saying.

I’m donating 20% of sales of this necklace to the Georgia Postcard Project, a grassroots effort led by Tricia Gephardt to turn Georgia BLUE. The response to this necklace and the rest of The Vote Collection has been overwhelming. I’ve gotten so many emails from women ordering the “I’m speaking” necklaces for their daughters and nieces. Some have described their daughters experiencing manspeak, being interrupted, and having a male speaking condescendingly to them. Sen. Harris's phrase has resonated with each of them. Check out the silver necklace with the phrase and a small black onyx to represent the Debate Fly. Because if Karma can have a sense of humor, so can jewelry.