Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Teixeira.
Hi Emily, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Texas, moved to the DC metro area and lived overseas in Germany, Bosnia, and Turkey for work before moving to Oregon for my husband’s job in 2015 where I became a stay-at-home parent and began to be involved in local government and advocacy. I know the value of having more voices and ideas engaged in our political processes and the difficulty of balancing that work with caring for a family.
I met the founder of Politisit, Rachel Sorway, through a mutual friend and we had an instant connection. Both of us had toddlers at the time and discussed the long lines we saw in polling locations across the nation and couldn’t imagine trying to vote with our little ones. Rachel knew this only illustrated a fraction of the problem and that a lack of access to affordable childcare keeps caretakers from civic activities and political engagement on a regular basis. She founded Politisit to address that need and has grown it into the organization it is today.
I have been a supporter of Politisit from its inception in the wake of the 2016 election, joined the board of directors in 2021, and accepted the position as executive director in January of this year. I’m excited to grow and expand the organization and bring more voices to the table.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I had my first child in Turkey, and was able to vote absentee; my second child was born in Oregon where we have a universal vote by mail so I have never been stuck standing in a line with my children in tow to cast my ballot. But millions of parents don’t have that option and must spend hours in long voting lines. They are left with the option of waiting in line with small children if they can’t afford or don’t have childcare available for that time or not casting their ballots.
Making sure every eligible voter can vote is the bedrock of democracy. The cost of childcare can be a barrier to parents voting, though, especially when a long line is expected. At Politisit, we believe that parents shouldn’t have to choose between voting and care for their children so we are working with organizations in states projected to have long voting lines to ensure that childcare is provided free of charge to parents wishing to vote.
One of our biggest challenges has been finding organizations to partner with in locations that are convenient to polling locations for parents. And of course, during the pandemic, we know many families and providers are hesitant to use drop-in childcare which we know is an easy way to accommodate many voting parents.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m the executive director of an Oregon-based nonprofit, Politisit. Our mission is to increase civic engagement by parents by paying for childcare, which is something I’m incredibly passionate about.
Politisit addresses financial barriers to civic engagement for parents and other caretakers of minors. In order to ensure institutions and government entities are serving our communities well, we need families to engage in community meetings, civic activities, legislative discourse, and voting.
Our democracy and communities are stronger when we get every voice to the table. Policies reflect the community’s needs and values, how government works is understood, and neighbors interact with each other more. Discourse is important to progress. Parents are an important part of that community discussion, and we are helping them engage. Together, we will ensure everyone’s presence in community discussions.
Currently, we have several programs to help engage caregivers in the democratic process. We are working with organizations in states projected to have long lines to vote in order to provide childcare to those who need it to cast their ballot. Here in Oregon, we work with individual families that are looking for childcare in order to attend civic meetings and activities. We’re hopeful to be able to expand this program to other locations in the future. We also partner with non-profit organizations and government entities to ensure childcare is available at meetings.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Growing up in Texas in the 80s, talking about politics was impolite. My mom, an opinionated 5 foot, 120 pound yankee from Pittsburgh, didn’t care about politeness and would speak her mind often and in public places. I remember being embarrassed as a kid while my mother would lecture people about kindness, intervene in arguments that didn’t involve her, and generally stand up for folks who couldn’t stand up for themselves. Looking back, I know that’s where I got my fiery spirit and need to be involved. Everyone should have someone like my mother willing to go out of their way to do what’s right.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.politisit.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/politisitUSA/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PolitisitUSA/
