State Representative Rachel Weston

Burlington, Vermont

I am often asked how I became involved with politics. I'm not sure that it was really 'politics' that I purposefully pursued. I wasn't a political science major in college, nor was I in student government in high school. Rather, I think I have pursued the values of social justice and environmentalism since I was very young. Working towards social justice has always been very important for me and from a young age I was sure that I could make a difference.

I remember watching the president on TV with my parents as he announced plans to go to war with Iraq because their leader had invaded the oil rich nation of Kuwait. With confidence in the knowledge that war is a bad thing, my nine year old brain went immediately into diplomatic action. Barricading myself in my room, I wrote a letter that I was sure would end the war. In the letter I explained to Mr. Hussein that killing people for oil was bad, and now that he had been informed that war was bad practice, he should stop the war or every one was going to think that he was "not so nice." While my letter didn't do much more than gain the attention of the local paper, it was my first act of civic engagement. Years later, while in college I would find myself attending rallies and protests in Washington, D.C. and throughout New England. These rallies would be filled with thousands of young people, asking our government to be accountable to the voices of the younger generation and to the other Americans who were not interested in entering into global conflicts. Even though we were organized and passionate, we were not being listened to by our government.

In college I focused on grassroots community development and worked as a volunteer with many community organizations that focused on housing and food security policy. After graduation I went to work at another non-profit community organization and as a public school teacher. While there is great strength and momentum towards conquering societal problems through community organizing, there are many instances where the root causes of issues that a community faces need to be addressed from within our government. With this in mind, I went back to school to pursue graduate studies in Public Administration.

If back in 2004 when I began graduate school someone had told me that I would be elected at age 25 to the Vermont House of Representatives I would have never believed them. Like many people, my image of an elected official was of an older white man in a suit from a family with a name. The idea of running for office as a serious option did not enter my head until I took a course called, Women, Leadership, and Politics, with Vermont's former Governor Madeleine Kunin. She talked about how many women who are engaged in their communities and who are passionate about social change often don't envision themselves as political leaders, choosing instead to work with community or non-profit organizations. This class opened the door to my realization that if I thought that the government needed to have more diverse voices and more connection to the grassroots community, that I could be that connection and that voice in the legislature that worked hard for the environment, the views of the younger generation, and the working class. Just because I was neither male, over fifty, nor fond of wearing suits did not mean that I was not qualified. After graduation in May of 2006 I began to campaign for the open legislative seat in Downtown Burlington, Vermont. Over the course of the next six months I ran a completely positive grassroots campaign where I knocked on almost every door in the legislative district, listened to over a thousand people at their homes, and registered over 500 people to vote. On Election Day my neighbors recognized that grassroots politics works and my district mate, Rep. Jason Lorber, and I received 65 percent of the vote.

Vermont is a part-time legislature--we are working in the capital, Montpelier from January through roughly the end of May. I serve on the Natural Resources and Energy committee. Prior to running for office I have worked on a number of climate change themed projects including carbon mapping and offsetting a college, creating an ecological tax reform plan for Vermont, and helping with environmental negotiations in Ethiopia. As the price of fuel rises we have been given the opportunity to secure a sustainable energy future for the next few generations. I am enjoying serving on this committee because I am able to help move some solutions from the grassroots that were considered quite radical only a few years ago (biodiesel, wind power, for example) more into the mainstream. We passed a bill this year that included sections on wind power, bio-diesel in state buildings, and an all-fuels energy efficiency program.

Democracy is strengthened by diverse voices. As the youngest member, and only member of the House under 34 years old, I recognize that I offer generational diversity to our policy deliberations. I am hoping to encourage more young people to run for office to strengthen Vermont's ability to be pro-active and forward thinking in its approach.