so remember what i said about 1992? year of the woman, but also year of the open seat. okay? so right now, women are either filed or say they are planning to file for open seats, 70 women are planning to run for open seat races in the united states house. back in 2008, at this point, only 32 women said they were filing for open seats. and in 2010, 37. this is what we have to watch. this is what we have to keep our eye on. we have been looking at this for the center of american women and politics for about two years. we have been going out and talking to women all over this country. women who are engineers in scientist and women in business and finance, organizations of women of color, leaders of the nonprofit community. and we are saying to them now is the time. why not you? why not now run for office? this is the payoff.

is the increase in the number of women who are saying they're going to run. and now we have, i think, the galvanizing issue where we are seeing the difference that women can make. we are seeing what happens when women's voices are not at the table. there's that great line, you know, if you're not at the table, you're probably on the menu. we need to make sure -- we need to make sure that we are all at the table. and so as i look out at this room, and so the folks watching this on c-span, if you are in one of those states where there have not be filings, i hope that you will consider running for office. or that where there is an open seat or a vulnerable incumbent, you will notify a woman that could run. that's what we need to do. if you are in a state where the filing deadlines have passed? find a woman. go to our web site. we keep track of all of the women who are running for office around the country. find a woman who is running, support her. if it's not somebody in your

state, find her in another state. but we need to get more women elected. our tag line for the 2012 project has been, "don't get mad, get elected." and i think that's absolutely true. and if it's not going to be getting you eh lockelected in 24 or 2016, i would say don't get mad, get a woman eh lucketted. so thank you very much and i hope that sets the stage for you quickly. [ applause ] >> i knew that she could do it. she has all of those numbers and fingers at your fingertips. do you have the deadlines on your web site? >> yes, all the filing deadlines are on our web site. we have an election tracker. if you go to the web site or to the 2012 project dot u.s., we have something called if election tracker. and we have all of the filing deadlines for each of the states and we have links to each state

and the women who are running for congress. and then as soon as the state legislative elections are held, if p the primaries, we will have all of the women who are running for the state legislature post primary. >> great. okay. so now you've set the stage. dr. ephai williams is our next speaker. the national congress black women which began -- i believe i'm saying 28 years ago. and its mission has been to encourage more african american women, more women of color to run because all the data that you hear on women as a whole, as you know, the other representation of women of color is even worse. but they've also broadened their mission. you do other things besides this, but dr. williams has done the mission impossible, too.

she's not only now taken over after c. delores tucker, who was the founder which was tough enough, but she also has run for congress. now, she did not take an easy site. she ran for congress from louisiana. and that was quite something because you only lost, i think, by 500 votes? .6 of one percent. can you imagine? but that didn't stop her. she kept going on. and she's had a career of encouraging other women to run and for all of us to fight for our women's rights, civil rights and where ever there's a social justice cause, dr. williams is there fighting for all of us. [ applause ] >> thank you, ellie. is there anybody left here who doesn't understand that there is a war against the women?

we know that the first shot was fired by the far right. but let me tell you this afternoon, it's not who fires the first shot, it's the one who's still standing when the war is over. we women plan to be still standing. so a woman who's memorial we have in the honor of police stationing in the united states capital, making her the first african american woman standing there with a prominent memorial. she said that if the first woman could turn this world upside down, surely all of us together can turn it right side up again. and we intend to do just that. we are on the same team. ray before we talked about fighting for issues that are issues for all people. not just what we consider our personal issues because the time

comes when we need to unite and we want somebody to help us with what we do consider our issue. and you've heard about the young minister who was there and said i said nothing because i was not involved. and then they came for me and there was no one left to be involved. so we must form our coalitions. we must collaborate on those issues that are all of ours. we must learn how one issue impacts the other. now, we're not playing football. i understand that. and i've attended a whole bunch of football schools. but sometimes i think some of those people out there who are working against our best interest believe that, indeed, women are a football field. and it can just form the little "t" formations. you know, they can say one thing to us and then do another.

but we are ready because we're on the same team. and we women understand what team work means. it used to mean that we did everything. but each of us has got our role to play now, and that's what makes us stronger because when we clollaborate, we can make everything that we do mean something. if you want to eliminate once and for all preexisting circumstances and conditions like being a woman, then we're on the same team. if you want to ensure equal pay for equal work, then we are on the same team. if you want to make sure that your child can stay on your health plan until they're 26, then, yes, we are on the same team. yes, if you want to have access to affordable health care and

what everybody else to have it, then we are on the same team. if you want to preserve social security as we know it, we are on the same team. if you are one of the 99% or care about the 99%, then we are on the same team. if you want to see more women like nancy pelosi and amy clovatar and barbara mcculksi and all of these wonderful women, then we are on the same team. if you want to see another shirley shichism rise, then we are on the same team. if you want to let more women serve on the supreme court like elena kagan, then we are on the same team.

if you want to see more women like hillary clinton over at the secretary of state being head of that office, then we are on the same team. if we want to see more me liz sahh and rachel on television telling our story, we are on the same team. >> if you want a fair pay act in your lifetime, we are on the seam team. >> if you want to see the tea party disappear, we are on the seam team. if you want to reach that 51% that you heard about this morning in the united states congress, then we are on the seam team. >> all right. if we want a congress that's responsive to our needs, then we are on the same team. if you want to keep title nine as our sister spoke about this morning, arlene, then we are on the same team. all right, if you want the equal

rights amendment ever to happen, we are on the same team. if you want to put down deviciveness, you want to put down sexism. you want to put down homofob you, you want to put down action against people and not giving them fair opportunity who is have physical or mental disabilities, then we are on the same team. if you want to put down ignorance of people who are supposed to be educated but don't act like it, then we are on the same team. my sisters, if you want to experience concepts like truth and justice for all, equality for all, fairness for all, then we are on the same team. we've been through the fire, my sisters. but one thing that is clear to us is that we are not going to

go back because we are on the same team. if we're on the same team, then it seems to make sense that there is something we have to do. how do we do it in 2012 because we can't wait, as dr. martin luther king said, we cannot wait. it's time for us to do it now. so we cannot just get mad because as my friend gregory says, when we get angry, plain old anger can consume and destroy us. but if we are on the same team, there are things we must do. we can't get mad at all fruity newt y. we can't get angry with tricky ricky and you can't get mad at the other people in the races who aren't for us. but everything that they say is something that we've got to

listen to because somehow it's connected to preventing women from doing something. it's against our interest. so some of the positive things, you've heard them all today and we're going to just rush through them. instead of just getting plain old angry, every time somebody comes on and says something crazy, just go and register another friend. somebody who didn't have the money to go and find that birth certificate. somebody who just doesn't even know where the courthouse is or where they registered to vote. let's make our anger mean something. if we're really on the same team. let's put our dollars where our mouths are instead of cussing somebody out. let's just go and send a dollar to people like elizabeth warner or other people who, well, we can't do that. but anyway, you know the people who support our issues. let's make sure you do that. if you want to be on the same

team with us, be sure that you motivate somebody to vote who didn't even plan to vote. we want you to explain to somebody how the affordable care act work. we know when people understand it, they like it. when they're asked individually if they want the pieces that are in that act, they then say they want it. but when you ask people if they support it because they've heard so much, i just add an s on it and say cares. but anyway, the vast majority of us are concerned about our brothers and our sisters all across this country. all across this world. but we can't do it if we don't have a congress there. and we need a senate one of these days before long, where 51% means something. right now, they can get 51% and they still haven't done anything. but since we are 51%, let's make

the senate mean something for us, too. that's a stupid law and they've got to change that. if we're silent about what's going on out there, then we are told by dr. martin luther king again that silence gives cont t content. and surely we are not consenting to all of the of the things that happened to us. again, we must collaborate now. we must stop all of the foolishness about being angry with somebody because they didn't want to do one things that they wanted. we've got to think about who is usually there with us until we can put somebody that is there all of the time. we women are a majority. sometimes, we act like we're just a little part of the c constituency that is out here voting. we are the majority. may believe they don't know what it means.

now, the people who are against us aren't hiding. it's not difficult to find them. all we have to do is listen to cvs, msnbc, even that other station over there and you'll find out who the real enemies are. so we just have to say no, no, no, no. we won't go back. and we've got mean it when we say it. so many of our women friends have died waiting for things to happen. while they worked, we were not always there with them. but we must be with women today who are for us. and we must know who those people are who are against our best interests. again, as i conclude, i bring to you a remark of truth who said that she has suffered so many indignities. but those indignities never stopped her because she was fighting for dignity.

and like many other women, susan b. anthony, and others, she was fighting to gain the right for us to vote. and we won't go back. there was gloria, shirley chism, kim ghandi, patricia ireland. harriet tubman before them. ella baker before them. all of these are women who have fought too many battles for us to go back. so we won't go back. it's time for us to take our own stand and stand the ground for women and insist that we woent go back for any reason. so we've got to get it on. we can't wait for the summer. we newlywcan't wait for you to together now. i want you to know that it is time that we understand each of

our interests is somehow related to all of our interests. so the far right may well have shot the first shot. but it's the one who's still standing when the last shot is fired. and, women, we intend to be there because we are a team. thank you. i love you. god bless you. [ cheers and applause ] >> i forget that ephai is an d ordained minister. [ laughter ] >> we have a little time, not much, but the reason that i stopped the candidate stuff is

that we're here as a nonprofit organization. and so basically, we want to keep it in the philosophical range, especially with eagleton institute standing right here encouraging more women to run. anyway, i also want to -- there those of you who were not here before, we have an historic figure in our audience who might want to say something about running. carol mosley brauhn who was obviously the first african american u.s. senator which is attending, which we're very honored with her attendance. she is on the national advisory board of now and obviously, she ran for president of the united states. so she knows something about running. if you want to go to a mic, carol, could i encourage you to? >> yeah. [ applause ] >> good.

right now, she is running a -- she's an expert on food. organic food. and you ought to hear her on this subject. my grandson happens to have this terrible peanut allergy and she was telling us about the food processing. this woman has a lot of hats. been elected how many times in illinois? lots. [ laughter ] >> and she is -- i'll never forget when you first took the floor. this might be a little known detail of why it matters when women are there. she took the floor and she had her pin on. first african american woman to take the floor. and they stopped her. remember this at the door? sergeant at arms stopped her and said she couldn't enter the

floor. she said wait a minute, i just got elected. anyway, she had pants on. this wasn't a hundred years ago. this is 1992. and women were not allowed to wear pants. and so do you want to tell the rest of the story? or should i? i mean, this made a difference because she refused to get off the floor. she stayed on the floor. and one of the reasons that women can wear pants is so senator and ambassador carol mosley brauhn. >> thank you. well, first off, ellie, i want to thank you and the feminist majority for this conference. this has been a magnificent opportunity. we've been calling it old home week because you've seen so many

people who have been out in the forefront making the case that equality is an american value. and women hold up half the sky. and we're entitled to be participants in the govern ans of this country just as well as anybody else. i love the fact that you bring the young women into the conversation. many of them really need to know that this is not just a battle that's going to be over with tomorrow. it didn't start yesterday. we have to all work together. we have to be a team to make certain that we come together and make these things happen. i want to tell a quick story. this is called point of personal privilege since i have the mic. the worst thing you can do is give a politician a mic, right? but my first meeting trebly i first met ellie fighting for the equal rights amendment in the state of illinois. it was 1970 something. and because my apartment was right across the street from the

capitol. we became the war room for the passage of the equal rights amendment. and we took on -- this was the very beginning of that other lady who will not be mentioned. of her orangization. so it was truly a face-off. truly a face-off. unfortuna unfortunately, illinois failed to pass the equal rights amendment. but that fight continues and the fact that we are still talking about, our daughters deserve no less from us than an equal rights amendment in this country. [ applause ] . >> but to talk a little bit about running for office, it's no easy thing to do. particularly in light of the fact that laws have changed in terms of money. if anything, i think campaign finance reform is the new face of the civil rights movement in this country.

the role of money is so corrupting on the process, it is really beginning to lock out a lot of voices that ought to be heard. lock out and close doors and foreclose opportunity, particularly from women, from all wracks of life who might be encouraging to step forward. that is really the hardest part of it. and if representative democracy means anything, it ought to meanly that women will have an equal voice. women will have an opportunity to participate in government. and you have that opportunity when you run for office. and so i want to encourage everybody here to do what you can. it's the pacts v. it's the corporations. it's the super packs. it's the efforts to get the money out there so that the candidates can be competitive. without that, you may have the

most brilliant thing in the world to say. but if nobody heard you say it, you don't get your message out and your chances of being elected are minimized. gatherings like this are so important, i want to thank you. i'm doing food now. i want to end with a quick food story. and this is some good news. no, seriously. two big things happened in the last month. coke and pepsi agreed with the fda to change the formulation of their beverages because it had been determined that an ingredient they were using caused cancer. and the fda was going to require that they put this product causes cancer on the cans and coke and pepsi decide, no, we

don't want to put any ref reps to cancer on our product, guess what, we're just going to change the formulation and take that out. great victory. you saw that much of it in the news. that was the first. the second though, and this was just today. it's just as important. it has to do with bpa, which is this plastic coating that they coat the inside of cans with, particularly that have tomato products in it. and what they found was that word of mouth got out, and "moms," mothers, who make the purchasing decisions, decided they were not going to expose chair children to this backaging material that might cause cancer and any number of ailments in the children. and the result now is that these companies are dumping this st e stuff. and change -- campbells has

announced they're changing their formulation for their soups, now, that's a pretty big deal. the people who make -- oh, what's the other one? progre progresso? no, it's not progresso -- i can't remember. see, that's without notes. in any event, two big companies, huge companies, have decided to change their formulation to get it out of their packaging because the women of this country spoke up and said we are not going to continue to participate in poisoning our children. it's those kinds of things. i think that's a great victory and i think that's a graet victory and should be inspirational to everyone here. the people in the end really do have the power. people coming together and expressing consensus around an issue like that have the power to change things. and to change the direction of this country. and that applies whether it's politics or food or any other

level of activity. how we dtwp fine our time starts with each and every person in that room. i want to concern grateulation here to make a difference and to make this an america that we can all be proud of. thank you. [ applause ] >> so i want to actually just follow up with what carol just said and i want to say it's wonderful to see carol. see, everybody should come to rutgers university. ts the place to be. but one of the things that we know about why women tend not to run for office is that they think that it's sort of an ugly place and a place where you can't get things done. and what they end up doing is called work arounds. they'll do it themselves.

the work is activists, like the ones that carol is talking anility, but they may not think that they can get it done in government. they watch the web site and see you can get stuff accomplished. but the bo tom line is where you want to make and the kind of systemic change. you don't have to keep asking vichblg companies to make changes out of their sort of largest qh. they do it where we are getting women inside. that's what we need. we know when we ask men and women who was the most important reason that they ran in the first place, and i'm sure this was carroll backing this up from her own personal experience, they run for office because they care passionately about something and they want to change it. and they find if they try to change it outside the system and they run for office and get it from the ininside. for men, they've had a long

standing interest in the year in politics. so we are interested in doing something to change things systemically so that we can see some real long term change in this country. [ applause ] >> there are two women at the mic. and then we have to end this because the room will expire at about this time. so would you say your name? >> i'm from frederick community college. my question is for ms. walsh. thanks for giving us the good news that about 70 more women candidates are running this full-time for the offices. my question is can we assume that hundred percent of these women are for