Special Edition Magazine WIP x La Politica: A World Perspective by Women In Politics

WIP

LA POLITICA MAGAZINE

A WORLD

Perspective

EDITORIAL ELLA STILLION SOUTHARND CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF

2020 has been the craziest, most unexpected year of our young adult lives. In the United States specifically, our country has been experiencing heightened political polarization, the rebirth of a racial equality movement, an economic downfall, and the novel Coronavirus. Globally, citizens of various countries have observed the different methods of containment of the COVID-19 virus and have had opposing perceptions of the pandemic. The fragmentation of experiences paired with the isolating nature of the virus, has led to a lack of unification among world leaders and citizens. As young people, even without a restricting pandemic, it’s hard to obtain that “global perspective” everyone talks about. We don’t have the time or means to travel all the time, schools can be focused on the Western world perspective of history, and understanding ongoing global issues is not made a priority in youth culture.

The best thing you can do to combat that (what you are already doing just by reading our issue!) is to actively listen to other people that are a different nationality than you. Recognizing our differences brings us together on a common ground of variation. That culture variation is what makes being a global citizen even more substantial. Here at Women In Politics and La Politica we want to supply that unification that’s missing from the world stage. We know how difficult it is to feel a part of a global community with domestically isolated circumstances, but the reality is we have more in common as global citizens than you think! Although we may not physically be together, we do have the ability to share our 2020 experiences as individuals and as global citizens On behalf of all of Women In Politics and La Politica, we hope you gain some of that global perspective from our magazine and learn from our international writers. Enjoy!

LA POLITICA WEY: MEET THE FOUNDER

YOUNG SEO KIM

Dear Readers, Hello everyone! My name is Young Seo Kim and I am the Founder and CEO of La Politica Wey. La Politica Wey is a youth-led international political newspaper. Members from La Politica Wey come from all over the world making our newspaper your go-to place for information and discussion on global politics. We offer a source of opinion, commentary, and analysis, as we seek to bring in more diversity and inclusion, I am a high school junior from Guatemala, a country located in Central America. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been intrigued by politics but my interest sparked during the General Elections of Guatemala in 2015; it was a chaotic time period for Guatemala because the president and the vice president stepped down from office due to corruption. Suddenly, various political figures began their campaign, promising to advocate for a transparent and functional government. Since then I have always been involved in Latin American and Korean politics and have recently expanded my knowledge on the US political landscape.

Furthermore, the media has been highly polarized and very centric to the United States. That’s when I thought, “You know what? There are more important issues outside the US that should be informed to the general public. Maybe I should do something about this.” Thus, I decided to create my very own newspaper: La Politica Wey. With the help of my amazing friends, I was able to build a team of driven teenagers to be able to find other teenagers that were eager to be part of this project. We began to write a few articles and after a long, grueling process, I couldn’t be more proud to announce that we have officially published our first batch of articles on October 26. Anyone is welcome to join our newspaper as we highly value having a wide range of varying perspectives from around the globe."The more diverse our team is, the more diverse our newspaper headlines are going to be. Our recent collaborative magazine with Women In Politics is a big step for our newspaper. This partnership is an outlet for us to work with other teenagers around the world and more importantly, advocate for women’s rights. I sincerely hope you will enjoy reading our collaboration magazine and learn more about how young girls feel about their country’s politics.

To read our news articles, go to our website https://studentwebpage.wixsite.com /lapoliticawey and follow our Instagram page @lapoliticawey for updates! If you have any questions or concerns feel free to reach out to our email lapolticawey2020@gmail.com.

A WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN AMERICAN POLITICS MEGAN BAKER: REPRESENTING THE UNITED STATES

WOMEN IN LATIN POLITICS

GRACIELLA BATLLLE: REPRESENTING PUERTO RICO

TABLE OF CONTENTS WOMEN IN POLITICS X LA POLICA WÉY

INSIGHT OF LEBANESE POLITICS KATY FAWAZ: REPRESENTING LEBANON

THE RESILIENCY OF INDEGINOUS WOMEN IN CANADIAN GOVERNMENT KAYLYN ALLINGHAM: REPRESENTING CANADA

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INSIGHT OF PAKISTANI POLITICS MYRA AHMED: REPRESENTING PAKISTAN

A Woman's Place is in American Politics BY: MEGAN BAKER

The culmination of the colonists’ fight against the British for independence reached its zenith with the adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1777. A decade later, once the novelty of sovereignty had worn off, the weaknesses in the Articles were exposed; the Continental Congress that conceived of the document had overcorrected for the British’s harsh taxation and an intrusive central army. that the national government’s inability to tax the country’s citizens or form a cohesive military made the same political thinkers create a new governing document: the Constitution.

With the creation of the Constitution, the Constitutional Framers birthed an unprecedented form of democracy: a constitutional federal republic. While technically categorized as a

democratic form of government, a constitutional federal republic embeds certain components and mechanisms that make the U.S. government uniquely American. The Framers designed a federal makeup that would rectify both the oppression the colonies experienced under the British crown and the shortcomings of the Articles. Rather than concentrating power into a singular unit (such as a king), the authority would be dispersed amongst three branches of government: the legislative, judicial, and executive. The legislative body is tasked with creating the laws, the judicial body in charge of interpreting the laws, and the executive body that enforces the laws. As a way of protecting this delineation of power, the Framers established a system of checks and balances that enables each branch to place limitations on the others’

powers so no one entity becomes too dominant - some examples are the presidential veto (which can still be overridden by Congress), the president’s appointment of justices/judges, the need for senatorial approval of appointed justices/judges, the court’s ability to rule laws and presidential acts as unconstitutional, and numerous other provisions. Furthermore, a balance between state and federal government would also function as a check on both local and national power. Lastly, instead of a hereditary inheritance of political positions, elections would be held periodically to ensure that those residing in governmental occupations were chosen by the people; presidential elections would take place every four years and congressional elections would take place every two years (as a preemptive measure against a monopoly of the presidential position, an amendment was ratified limiting presidential terms so that no one person can hold the office for more than eight years).

This new facet of democratic governance brought freedom, equality, and justice. However progressive the initiative of citizens possessing inalienable rights and the self-evident truth of all men being created equal were, the scope of inclusion provided through this equality failed to extend beyond white male property owners. For a government that was conceived to be “by the people, for the people,” a significant portion of the population was omitted from the process. In 1840, Elizabeth Cady Stanton attended an antislavery meeting in London to learn how she could best partake in the abolition movement only to discover that she, on the premise of her gender, was not allowed to participate and even had to sit apart from the men. She befriended Lucretia Mott, a fellow female abolitionist, who was similarly appalled by the sexism. Together, the two called for a women’s rights convention (later known as the Seneca Falls Convention) during which Stanton authored a declaration of grievances deliberately modeled after the Declaration of Independence proclaiming women's right to equality . This convention was pivotal in the fight for women’s rights.

Suan B. Anthony, a close friend and colleague of Stanton’s, served as a figurehead in the fight for women’s suffrage. In 1917, Representative Jeannette Rankin became the first woman to serve in Congress. Nellie Ross became the first female governor in the United States after being elected to the position in 1925. Margaret Chase Smith became the first female to ever be elected to both congressional chambers upon being elected to serve in the Senate in 1948 following her time in the House of Representatives. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 to serve as the Supreme Court’s first female judge. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman to ever be elected to Congress at 29 years old following the 2018 midterm election and in 2020 Kamala Harris made history by becoming the first woman - and the first woman of color - to be elected as Vice President of the United States.

All of these women worked continuously and tirelessly to help actualize the ideals of democratic equality promised in the Constitution.s a woman spearheading my way into the realm of politics, the lasting impact they imposed on both the landscape of American government and the trajectory of equality in society are overtly palpable. I interned at a government relations firm at my state capitol in Hartford, Connecticut during the last semester of my undergraduate senior year where I was directly supervised by two women (one of whom is a firm name partner) - an opportunity that just 40 years ago would have been inconceivable. It was through this experience that I became fully cognizant of the axiom at which I exist in the intersection of gender and politics as a woman lobbying at the state capitol. I also began to take note of the women around me: Melissa McCaw, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management tasked with functioning as the chief of the state’s budget; Susan Bysiewicz, the state’s lieutenant governor; and Themis Klarides, the state’s first female minority leader.

I watched diligently as these and other successful, empowered women debated their male counterparts on legislation, authored and introduced bills, and voted for or against policy with their constituents' best interests at heart while doing so. I spoke with them about their run for office and the difficulties of navigating through the pressures of our conventional society that urge occupancy in the sphere of domesticity over the pursual of a career. Despite all of the ground we have covered and the traction we have acquired since the Seneca Falls Convention, the fight remains far from over. During my time at the state capitol, I still felt the pings of antiquated sexism every time a male colleague or older associate called me “sweetheart,” when the voice of female legislators were quelled by those of their male peers, and in the persistent presence of the disproportionate ratio of male-to-female representation. We must continue striving towards the objective of gender equality by increasing female representation in government, advocating for women’s rights, and encouraging young girls to become active and involved in our country’s government and democratic processes because a woman’s place is no longer just in the kitchen, it is also in American politics.

A woman’s place is no longer just in the kitchen, it is also in American politics.

WOMEN IN LATIN POLITICS BY: GRACIELLA BATLLE

My first memory regarding politics is probably during the election of 2012 in Puerto Rico. As a young Latina girl growing up in the island, I accustomed to follow the views my father inculcated in our family, since he was the most involved in politics at the time. However, even when I was little, I have always been concerned with the political status of the island and anything regarding the different political parties that took play, which has obviously contributed to the views I hold now, as a 16-year-old young adult. Consequently, nearing that election, which took place 8 years ago as of right now, I found myself constantly asking my dad, who, at the time, worked with the Puerto Rican government, “what happens if Alejandro García Padilla wins?”

(to clarify, Alejandro García Padilla was the candidate for the PPD party, which promotes a Puerto Rico that is a free state, yet remains associated with the United States, basically leaving us as a U.S. territory). My dad simply told me, “well, I’ll probably lose my job”. I found myself asking “why would you lose your job?”, and my dad simply responded, “it’s much too complicated for me to explain, but it's rooted in the fact that I work for the PNP, the political party who aims to achieve statehood for Puerto Rico.

If Alejandro García Padilla were to win, my position would then correspond to someone who is part of the PPD.” As election day neared, I found myself to be extremely nervous, as I did not want my dad to end up unemployed because of a political debacle. However, Alejandro García Padilla did win the election, and thus my father remained unemployed and began his job search, which eventually lasted six months.

This experience not only opened my eyes to how decisive politics can be, but how important it is to use our voices.

According to a study made by the University of Puerto Rico, about 50% of Puerto Ricans restrained from voting in the 2012 elections. This statistic serves to exemplify how the results could have been totally different if only more people would have taken advantage of their right to vote.

Using our voices is extremely important when it comes to social and political situations. Our voices are our most powerful tools, capable of changing the course of an entire occurrence simply by promoting consciousness on distinct matters. resignation from power.

Even though the Puerto Rican election of 2012 had a low voter turnout, there have been other events in which people have put their voices to use and have seen the results they were aiming towards. For example, during the natural phenomenons on the island, such as the Hurricane María. I have also watched an entire community of people, regardless of their social or political background, come together to oust an unjust leader out of power, as happened during the summer of 2019 in Puerto Rico. This movement to eliminate Ricardo Rosselló’s title as governor of Puerto Rico perfectly portrayed how much our voices matter, since, after 15 days of peaceful protests, the governor professed his resignation from power.

This movement to eliminate Ricardo RossellĂłâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s title as governor of Puerto Rico perfectly portrayed how much our voices matter, since, in a matter of 15 days, after several peaceful protests, the governor professed his resignation from power, responding to the appeals of the Puerto Rican people. In all truth, Puerto Rico, although a very politically conscious territory for the most part, does not have much of a voice in global politics, specifically in American politics. Why would this affect us, you ask? Well, even though we are forced to abide by the decrees stipulated in the United States Constitution, we have no say in what Congress passes in regards to our island, but, most importantly, we are not able to vote for the president of the United States of America, despite the fact that he eventually becomes our leader as well.

Growing up in an environment where this is resented by the majority of the Puerto Rican population,

I am asking whoever is reading this to vote, use your voice, and take politics seriously, not only for the sake of the millions of Puerto Ricans who wish they could vote but simply cannot, but for the sake of the future status of the world as a whole.

INTERVIEW WITH KATELYN FAWAZ

How does your political process work? Is it similar to the American system?

It is definitely not similar to the American system but there are some similarities. In our system, the people—the citizens—elect the National Assembly or Parliament which in America would be equivalent to the Senate. Members of Parliament serve terms of 4 years and Parliament acts like any legislative body and creates legislation for the country. Members of Parliament are also entrusted with electing the President, that has a 6-year term, as well as approving the President’s choice for Prime Minister and his cabinet.

There is also an unwritten rule in our government the president must be a Maronite Christian, the premier a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the National Assembly a Shiʿi Muslim. Our parties are also based on religion and seats in Parliament are apportioned equally between Christian and Muslim groups, in total there are 18 different sects represented in Parliament as well as other public office positions.

The cabinet holds more executive power than the president

How dominant are women in government positions?

Compared to the rest of the world, as well as America, women are not as dominant in government positions or even political discussions in general. In the mid-1950s women were granted suffrage and the right to run for political office. Although we gained the right to vote early on, up until ten years ago, less than twenty people had served in the Lebanese Parliament. In recent years the influence of women has shifted. In the 2019 election, a record number of women were on the ballot as well as four women were approved in the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cabinet. It was a very historic year. Of course, like many countries, we still have a long way to go to shift the political sphere to equal representation for women.

In daily life, politics is considered more of a menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s topic of discussion. Politics rarely comes up at the dinner table unless it is to talk about recent news. This dynamic is slowly changing as more women are elected and show interest in politics. This change also stems from the younger generation, such as myself, who interest themselves in government processes. Hopefully, in the future, politics will be considered more of a universal topic than today.

How involved are the public in elections and other government processes?

As mentioned before we do not elect our president. Instead, we elect Members to Parliament who vote on who will become President for us. In recent years this process was a little muddled as we were left without a sitting President from 20142016 during a time of unrest in Lebanon. The Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cabinet, which in reality has more power than the President, kept the government together but it was still very messy. When the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presumptive term ended a new Parliament was elected who then elected a new President. The public in retrospect has very limited power. They can only elect candidates to Parliament from their respective region and we give those members full control of what happens with the future government. That is the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only way to show their voice and that choice gets even more confusing when political parties get involved. In conclusion, the public has limited involvement especially compared to America where citizens have the power to elect candidates to local positions as well as President. For us, it looks very different and in recent years this has been very disheartening in times of economic difficulties for the citizens of Lebanon.

Due to the limited involvement of the people in the democratic process of government the only other option was to take to the streets. Some may remember Labono frequenting the news due to protests held by citizens to speed up the formation of a new government. Now protests still continue because the people are mostly unhappy with the sitting President and the ongoing corruption. The public is irritated by the constant abuse of power and the elitism of the system. Even now during the pandemic protests continue but Lebanese citizens still hold a bit of hope that in 2 years in the next election for president there will be some changes for the better.

genous women indigen RESILIENCY OF women i nTHE indigenous ndigenous women in Indigenous Women genous women indige IN CANADIANindigeno GOVERNMENT nous women n indigenous women nous women indigeno s womenindigenous w ous womenindigenou indigenous women in ous womenindigenou s women indigenous enous women indigen omen indigenous wo BY: KAYLYN ALLINGHAM

Canadian politics are not often covered in the mainstream media, and indigenous involvement is nearly unheard of; even locals are vastly under-educated. The Canadian electoral system is fairly similar to that of the USA, but of course, there are some vast differences. Canada has four main political parties: the Conservative Party, Liberal Party, NDP (New Democratic Party), and Green Party. We also have many smaller parties such as the Bloc Quebecois Party, and the People's Party of Canada. Canada runs on a first past the post system, where citizens within specific geographic areas with populations of about 20,000100,000 elect a federal representative to hold a seat in the House Of Commons.

The party with the majority of seats or the highest total seats wins the election. Currently, the Liberal Party holds a minority government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Since the 2016 election when Justin Trudeau was first elected, there has been a greater number of indigenous participation in both government and elections. Since 1867 we have had several indigenous representatives who have held seats in the House Of Commons, however we have never had an indigenous party leader. Currently, Canada has a population of 37.5 million, and aboriginal peoples make up about 4% of our total population. This means that if representation was proportionate to ethnic population, 13 of the 338 seats would be held by indigenous peoples, and 6-7 of those would be female. Instead, only 10 seats are held by indigenous peoples, and 4 of those are held by women.

genous womenindigen n indigenous women i ndigenous women in genous women indige nous women indigeno n indigenous women nous women indigeno s womenindigenous w ous womenindigenou indigenous women in ous womenindigenou s women indigenous enous women indigen omen indigenous wo To put it plainly, aboriginal women are essentially absent from Canadian parliamentary spaces, according to Elections Canada in 2003. Since 1867, there have been 43 aboriginal members of the Federal House of Commons, and only 10 of those were female. Throughout Canadian history, there have been 17 aboriginal members of the Canadian Senate, with only 6 of whom were female. Statistics show that 23% of indigenous federal representatives have been female, and the percentage of total federal representatives is minuscule. Unfortunately, these statistics come as no surprise, as the stigmas and stereotypes attached to indigenous women often hold us back from success. Aboriginal peoples have long been regarded as “savages,” the term stemming from the idea that our traditional lifestyles are non-civilized and unsustainable. Most would agree that the way of life we have been practicing for thousands of years has been perfected over time, and is therefore well suited for our earth and peoples. Many do not trust our capabilities because of the negative connotations associated with the traditional lifestyles that very few still chose to practice.

Canadian women were finally given the right to vote in 1918, 42 years after men were able to vote, when the federation of Canada was established. Shockingly, aboriginal women in Canada with their status were not able to vote until the 1960s, 93 years after confederation. Not only were they outright discriminated against, but if they wished to exercise their basic right they would risk losing their “Indian Status,” along with the promised benefits. The trickle effect of this discrimination gives reason to the fact that many aboriginal women did not, and still do not vote. Residential schools, criminalization of traditional practices, and mass relocation are just a few of the atrocities that have been committed against aboriginal people in the past. The Truth and Reconciliation Act of 2008 was created to restructure the relationship between the government and indigenous peoples of Canada, as well as create a historical record of the residential school system.

Women have traditionally been at a disadvantage when it comes to politics, and those who are indigenous statistically have a much lower chance of success. However, there are a few exceptional women who are breaking this stigma.

In 1988, Ethel Blondin-Andrew was the first indigenous woman to be elected to the parliament of Canada, representing the Canadian Liberal Party in the Western Arctic district. She maintained this position for 17 total years and was voted out of office in 2006. Throughout this time she did great work for aboriginal communities, such as general advocation for children and parents in northern indigenous communities. She is also recognized for building government connections with people who have disabilities. Her successes are still recognized today.

Jody Wilson-Raybould is another indigenous woman who has demonstrated great success in government, being elected for two terms since 2015. She first represented the Canadian Liberal Party in 2015, and is now an Independent candidate, having held this position since 2019. Wilson-Raybould, who grew up on Vancouver Island, now represents the Vancouver-Granville district. She is recognized for her effort in impaired driving laws, family policies, and her general attention to indigenous rights.

How does your political process work? Is it similar to the American system?

Pakistan's political process is similar, in the sense that the country is divided into two constituents. But, the only difference is that each constituency is weighed equally unlike the electoral college. The national assembly is basically like the UK and the prime minister has a cabinet and the cabinet consists of a variety of ministers from climate change and technology. Pakistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political system is very similar to that of the United Kingdom. The country is divided into constituencies, all of which contribute to the National Assembly. The most significant difference would be the fact that Pakistan has a codified, entrenched constitution that lays out the fundamental principles of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political landscape, while the UK does not have such a document. Women in Pakistani politics have slowly risen to become pioneers of some of the greatest programs the country has ever seen. In fact, one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most significant prime ministers, Benazir Bhutto, was the first female Prime Minister to head a Muslim-majority nation.

How dominant are women in government positions?

So men are dominant in a government position, but one thing I appreciate we have definitely seen women increasing being in these positions. We also see these women advocating for more women to come into politics. Our generation wants to go into politics. It's really heartening to see all these people, especially women, talk about what is happening. Mashion is an organizations, run by Mahira Khan, and actress. The organization strives to empower women- featuring women who run their small businesses and a space for women to express themselves and making them feel safe in fields such as sports or STEM. Our ambassador to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi, is a significant student at London School of Economics and taught there as well. There are women as cabinet officials and ministers of climate change. While

there is always a need for diversity in the government, I am proud of how far we have come.

How are you personally affected by the government?

Pakistan is the basis of all the things I do in civics such as Land Of the Pure. I feel a sense of responsibility for Pakistan and when I see something wrong in the government it stresses me. Civic responsibility is dear to my heart, so through my organizations I strive to equip people with the knowledge to vote. It is heartwarming to now see that Pakistan's success is coming from the people rather than the government.

SROTAERC EHT TEEM

WOMEN IN POLITICS MAGAZINE Founder and CoExecutive Director

Rebecca Joseph

Walnut Creek, CA | 15 years old

My name is Rebecca Joseph and I am a highschool sophomore from the Bay Area. I got interested in politics during my first year of high school where I joined the Speech and Debate team. From there I fell in love with the world of politics, but soon became aware of the lack of representation women were getting in the field. I wanted to be part of a community of teens who want to support each other and the younger generation to pursue a career in politics; however, I was unable to find anything, so I started Women In Politics. Now, four months later I have been blessed with an amazing team and I cannot wait for all we are going to accomplish.

Co-Exec. Director Katherine Bronov

Philadelphia, PA | 17 years old

My name is Katherine Bronov and I am an online high school senior from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. I have been interested in politics since the start of high school and I have searched for organizations and clubs that interest me but found nothing until Women In Politics (WIP) caught my eye. WIP is a very special organization and quite interestingly the first of its kind. I am so grateful to be a part of this organization and work alongside girls that are just as passionate about politics as I am, who recognize the shortage of women in this important field. Please enjoy this issue!

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Please enjoy this issue!

Kansas City, MI | 16 years old

Megan Baker| Graciella Batlle | Katelyn Fawaz | Kaylyn Anningham | Myra Ahmed I Young Seo Kim

Editor Leader

Lily Sun

San Ramon, CA | 16 years old

Isabella Pang

Long Island, NY | 16 years old

Kashish Singh | Sara Keegan | Sydney Stewart

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Anna Cernich

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CO- EDITOR IN CHIEF

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