Rep. Errington reads to class at Southview Elementary School

INDIANAPOLIS — State Rep. Sue Errington (D-Muncie) read the book, Grace for President, to a couple of fifth-grade classes on Friday, April 29.

“The book’s message is that women can run for office, win and be leaders,” said Errington. “So often when a child is asked to name a leader, they think of a man. However, there is a growing number of women making history and breaking barriers. Plus, there are numerous examples of famous women who positively impacted their nations in government, science, medicine, the arts, education, exploration, sports, and industry.

“Women who immediately come to mind include Jane Addams, Isabel Allende, Maya Angelou, Susan B. Anthony, St. Joan of Arc, Jane Austen, Clara Barton, Hillary Clinton, Madame Marie Curie, Emily Dickinson, Amelia Earhart, Mariam Wright Edelman, Anne Frank, Indira Gandhi, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Dolores Huerta, Mother Jones, Elena Kagan, Helen Keller, Billie Jean King, former Cherokee Chief Wilma Mankiller, Golda Meir, Maria Montessori, Florence Nightingale, Georgia O’Keeffe, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, Pocahontas, Queen Elizabeth II, Sally Ride, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sacajawea, Sonia Sotomayor, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Amy Tan, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Oprah Winfrey, and Malala Yousafzai to name just a scant few,” continued Errington.

“These women have proven that gender does not exclude anyone from being a leader or from making history,” added Errington. “Remarkable women can be role models for boys as well as girls. I was fortunate to have strong women inspire me to get involved in the community and eventually run for political office. I hope some of the girls in the classes will begin to dream of how they can contribute to the history of our state and our country. And, likewise, I hope the boys in the classes will be inspired to support gender equality as leaders in the fields they choose.”

The reading program is sponsored by the nonpartisan Center for American Women and Politics, which is part of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. The Hess Foundation provided support for the distribution of the book. Errington’s copy was donated to the school’s library after the reading.