How Congresswoman Mary Peltola Leads with Power
Founder Aimee Allison and Communications Director Mallory Adamski (Diné) spoke with Congresswoman Mary Peltola (Yu’pik) of Alaska to talk about how she leads with power. Here are some of the highlights of the conversation:
Fish, Family, Freedom
Congresswoman Peltola says she has three main priorities for Alaskans: fish, family, and freedom.
Fish represents the Alaskan way of life, not only in providing food but also for being one of the largest industries in the state. Alaska is facing increased food insecurity due to climate change and overfishing, and Ms. Peltola is using her position in Congress to preserve the Alaskan way of life for all of her constituents.
Family represents all working Alaskan families. Coming from a working-class background herself, Congresswoman Peltola understands the needs and struggles of her constituents and will advocate for legislation to improve their quality of life.
Freedom represents personal freedoms, especially a woman’s right to choose. Everyone deserves individual bodily autonomy, and she is working to protect that for her constituents. She also acknowledges the unique, but tragic history of women of color, especially Indigenous women, in the U.S. with forced sterilization and wants to ensure no one ever goes through those experiences again.
“It should be the purview of the woman and her family when and how she grows her family.” - Congresswoman Mary Peltola
Approach to Building Unity
“As Americans, we need to think about how broad we’re going to define ‘We the People.’”
Communications Director Mallory Adamski, Founder Aimee Allison, and Congresswoman Mary Peltola on Instagram Live. Watch the full video.
Ms. Peltola understands that an effective democracy depends on the diversity of the people governing it. That includes people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, gender identities, or experiences. If the United States wants to talk about “We the People,” it should be inclusive of everyone, not a select few, she said.
The Congresswoman also incorporates her Indigenous values into her worldview and the way she leads, but she emphasizes how the same values are universal across multiple cultures and people groups. As a mixed-race woman with German ancestry, Congresswoman Peltola recognizes the parallels between her Nebraskan family values and her family in Alaska.
“I also find it very helpful when I talk about Native values or our worldview, making sure it isn’t coming across in a threatening way or compartmentalized way,” Congresswoman Peltola said. “The things that Alaska Natives want are the same things everyone else wants–good schools, jobs that pay well, being able to take care of our families… these are universal values.”
Everyone Has a Valuable Contribution to the Larger Group
The Congresswoman shared how she recognizes how her lived experiences have shaped her leadership style and approach to her work today. Each year, the Peltola family hosts a fish camp, where every person, regardless of age, has a role to play and each brings a valuable contribution to the success of catching fish. Elders play an important role due to their knowledge of traditional practices. Children contribute as the eyes for certain details, such as making sure the fish doesn’t spoil or staying up overnight to watch for poachers.
In Congress, there are people from all types of backgrounds–stay at home parents, teachers, combat veterans, service workers–all of our experiences are important and should be reflected in the governing body.
For the Women of Color Who Are Ready to Lead
The Congresswoman’s advice for those ready to step into their power? She told us, “Run for office! Put your name forward for the position you want.”
Women win at the same percentage rate that men do, but not as many women run. People always talk about timing, but just like how there will never be a “right time” to start a family, there will never be a perfect time to run for office.
Even if you are someone who has no desire to run for office yourself, help someone who does, with Ms. Peltola sharing that help with everyday tasks is an often underrated need many women candidates have when running for office. Much of the Congresswoman’s success in both of her elections can be attributed to encouragement and collaboration from fellow women. Since she didn’t come from a wealthy background, some female consultants helped by allowing Ms. Peltola to pay them after the campaign was over. Other women simply reaffirmed her value in running for office when she doubted herself.
“It’s just making sure we’re telling women, ‘You ARE visionary, you ARE capable.’”
Importance of Advocacy and Changing the Narrative
When it comes to taking action and advocating for our rights and protections, the Congresswoman had much to say about where we fit as women of color:
“Congress isn’t a thermostat, [it’s] a thermometer. We need groups like [She the People] putting pressure from the outside… We need the public pressure to make changes.”
External pressure shows leaders exactly what matters to their constituents, and enough pressure will push them to take action.
She said, “It’s much easier to change a law than it is to change a culture.”
Founder Aimee Allison reaffirmed the Congresswoman and emphasized the importance of uplifting the next generation into leadership. Ms. Peltola said true leaders–past and present– need to come from a place of love when it comes to governing. All the issues we face like inflation, housing, and more are solvable, but approaching each issue from a place of love and having the political will to improve the quality of life for all goes a long way in legislating.
She continued on to say that love is a much harder way to approach things because it’s a verb, with hate being a lazy way to reach people.
Love is already a core value and the essence of She the People. We understand how radically different it is to approach politics with “love” over anything else, but we believe in the infinite possibilities if we give it a chance.
Ways to support
To support the Congresswoman, you can:
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