After the first evening of my training with The White House Project, I ran up to my hotel room and dropped my notebooks from the day so I wouldn’t have to carry them to the bar/networking that was taking place. I was not sure how long I would stay up – it was already 10:00pm.
I noticed one of the panelists was standing outside of the bar looking in. I tapped her shoulder and thanked her for her time and for being part of the panel on Women’s Leadership in politics. Her name, Polly Baca. I had NO idea who this woman was. Quite honestly, I haven’t paid much attention to local politicos over the years. My attention has always been on the major Presidential race every four years.
I asked Polly if she wanted to grab a drink. We passed through the crowd of women who were already comfortably networking in small circles. Polly and I sat in the very back side of the bar, removed from everyone, except the bartender. Little did I know, I was sitting with the first woman elected to the Colorado House of Representatives and, later, to the state senate, Polly Baca-Barragán (born 1943) was the first Hispanic woman elected to those offices.
I sat in awe as Polly shared her life experiences with me that included being one of Bobby Kennedy and JFK’s staff members as well as Special Assistant to Bill Clinton during the Clinton Administration. We talked about the Bay of Pigs, her longstanding relationship with the Democratic National Conventions and her love affair with politics and history.
Polly and I talked about women and politics and the need for more LAND the role of leadership in this country. Sadly, we fall short when it comes to women leaders – not because they don’t exist but because electing women isn’t the norm, YET.
Polly was so dear and kind. We laughed, especially when she told me she married and divorced, TWICE, the father to her two children, who was also a Priest!!!
Polly has been working with LARASA as the Executive Director. The mission of the Latin American Research and Service Agency (LARASA) is to lead and influence change to improve the quality of life for Latinos in Colorado.
It was as if two old pals had been reunited. It was one of the more interesting evenings of my life.
GO GIRL! 