Sec. Clinton and Sen. Gillibrand

Change.org blogger Jen Nadeau has published an interesting interview with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. Here’s an excerpt of my favorite parts:

…I have been blessed with strong feminist role models. My grandmother, for example, was very involved in politics in Albany and organized other women to serve the community. She inspired me to become active in politics and work on the grassroots level to elect candidates who shared our priorities.

As a young lawyer, working in New York City, I was also inspired by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton’s powerful speech in China, when she said that “women’s rights are human rights, and human rights are women’s rights.” As an Asian Studies major at Dartmouth who had traveled in China, I understood exactly what it meant for this woman leader to say those words, at that time and in that place. I have learned from her vision and commitment to helping women and children…

It’s very disappointing, actually [that women comprise only 17% of the Senate]. It’s 2009, that number should be a lot higher… I have no doubt that we will see more women in elected office in the coming years. In the meantime, we need to support the women candidates who are running, which is where blogs and online communities like yours come in. I really appreciate how much support there is online for what we are doing and the issues we are fighting for…

I believe women in leadership can have a transformational impact on our communities and on the public policies that have the deepest impact on our families’ lives. I hope my efforts will inspire women to go into public service, just as Secretary Clinton did for me many years ago.