TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
ARKANSAS GIRLS LEAD BY ARKANSAS STATE REPRESENTATIVE CAROL DALBY
I n our current society, we often find ourselves in a hyper-partisan world where it seems increasingly difficult to reach consensus on any issue. If you’ve ever watched the Arkansas General Assembly debate a highly controversial piece of legislation, you might conclude your local lawmakers are just as deeply divided as those in Washington. But I want to let you in on a little secret: most of us are friends. In fact, we probably had dinner together minutes after you watched us vote down one another’s bills. There’s also a group with a very special bond within the walls of the State Capitol… and that’s the women of the House. There are 26 of us right now. In November, we broke a record for the highest number of women voted into the House in the general election. After a special election in 2020, there were 27 of us for a short time. Some of us have kids at home. Some of us are grandparents. Some of us are attorneys and others put our careers on hold to raise
children. We are diverse in age, race, and socio-economic status. But there is not one woman serving in the Arkansas House right now who I wouldn’t call upon if I needed help. And in turn, I’d drop everything if one of my colleagues called me. In 2017, the women of the House started a movement called #ARGIRLSLEAD. Each of us has a unique story to share about our journey on the road to our current leadership position. We share those stories on our social media pages for #ARGIRLSLEAD. You can find our social media pages by searching # ARGIRLSLEAD. We also visit schools and provide shadow and mentor opportunities for girls in our districts. The purpose of this movement is to promote positive self- image and leadership for young girls across the state. This is an opportunity for female lawmakers to use their own experiences and stories to help the next generation. These stories have helped young girls see themselves in a leadership role.
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BUSINESS & POLITICS
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