Womens Equality Party Nov 4th

When I was a little kid and it was just me and my mom, one of the things I remember most is how much she worked. My mom was always working and she had an army of family members and babysitters that took me to school and picked me up from school when she had early meetings or her day ran long.

My mom was an entrepreneur building a business from scratch. I remember sitting at the dinner table and her telling me that she was working so hard because she was the boss. And being the boss was hard work! First in, last out and everyone else got paid before she did.

As a young child, I couldn't understand the sacrifice my mom was making to give me a better life and also to set a better example for women in the workplace but as I got older it was blatantly clear that I grew up in the same house with someone who was actively participating in breaking the glass ceiling. My mom reached high and achieved so much and yet to this day still works just as hard.

She was lucky to be the boss, to be in charge. Many women aren't as lucky. The suffer injustice and discrimination in the workforce. There is a persistent wage gap. There are struggles and obstacles many women face in their daily lives as they fight to compete on the same level and with the same benefits as men.

I inherited that hard working mentality, and while 30 years have passed since those nights at the dinner table with my mom, the challenges women face are just as real today as they were then.

For my past, my present and my future, I am excited and also feel a deep responsibility to support the Women's Equality Party here in New York state.

On November 4, I hope you'll join me in voting the Women's Equality Party line. By voting WEP, you're supporting candidates who have pledged to work to pass the WEP's 10 point plan:

1. Establish Pay Equity for Women
2. Stop Sexual Harassment in Every Workplace
3. Stop Businesses from Discriminating against Pregnant Women
4. Strengthen Human Trafficking Laws
5. End Hiring and Salary Discrimination Against Parents
6. Stop Landlord Discrimination Against Women Who Depend on Housing Assistance
7. Stop Housing Discrimination for Victims of Domestic Violence
8. Allow for the Recovery of Attorneys’ Fees in Employment and Credit and Lending Cases
9. Protect Victims of Domestic Violence by Strengthening Order-of-Protection Laws
10. Apply the full standards of Roe v. Wade in New York Additionally, all candidates support passing new legislation that will subject colleges and universities in New York to new oversight and reform how they handle sexual assaults, including incidents involving rape, that are reported on their campuses.

There are lots of ways you can get involved:

Visit the website to learn more and sign up for email updates! You can also follow WEP on Facebook and Twitter and join the conversation at #voteWEP.

If you want to make a direct impact on the campaign and get the word out now, here are two suggested tweets:

Make history by creating the first party dedicated to women's rights in NY #voteWEP Join us: http://bit.ly/1EabC7B

Equal work for equal pay is the right of every woman in New York. #voteWEP on Nov 4 http://bit.ly/1EabC7B

I dedicate my vote to my mother, who fought so hard for women's equality through her work as an entrepreneur, educator and community leader.

Who would you dedicate YOUR vote to? Share your vote with #voteWEP on social media and don't forget to vote on November 4th!