by Jennifer Markewych
Last night was my proudest moment as an elected official to date. It was a moment that made all the bureaucracy, headaches, and frustration worthwhile. At 3:30 pm, less than 3 hours before my board meeting, I received a phone call from our city liaison, “Jen, I’ve got some news for you.” (Rarely is this a good thing.) “We have a group of women here from Saudi Arabia studying the council system and they want to see a woman in charge. Jen, they want to come see you tonight…” So, with less than 2 hours prep, I rewrote my President’s message, practiced a bit of Arabic (and found significantly more conservative attire) and was off. There are simply no words to express how honored and humbled I am to have met these ladies last night. They turned out to be some of THE FIRST WOMEN ELECTED IN SAUDI ARABIA LAST YEAR. I was truly privileged to meet these women who are making history and working towards equality and democracy in their country. As someone who is first generation born here on my father’s side, with both sides of my family coming to this country after fighting or fleeing communism, fascism, and Nazism, it is deeply embedded in my DNA to cherish liberty and democracy. For all it’s flaws and messiness, we need to remember that we still serve as an example of freedom to the world. To be able to build bridges of friendship with these democratic pioneers is awe-inspiring. I can’t wait to see their accomplishments… And, of course, go visit them as well.
