Interview: Emily Weber, candidate for Missouri House of Representatives - District 24
We like to take time to highlight women we see out in the world doing their part to make the world a little nicer. In this Real Nice Lady Spotlight, we’re talking to Emily Weber, Graphic Designer and Candidate for Missouri House of Representatives - District 24, about what inspired her to run and what real nice ladies can do to help their local election.
Job Title/Profession
I’m a graphic designer, by day! I graduated from Kansas City Art Institute and have worked for various companies. I’ve been self-employed, worked for small mom and pop shops, to big corporations. Right now I’m employed by a financial firm as their social media strategist and graphic designer. After my paid gig, I’m a candidate for Missouri State Representative District 24. Juggling both hasn’t been easy, that’s one of the reasons why we ran so early was because we knew I still needed to work full time, so it was going to take us a little longer to make sure we got up and running!
Favorite Drink?
Coffee, black tea, wine
Favorite Food?
I could eat Mexican food everyday for the rest of my life.
Karaoke Song?
“Hold On” by Wilson Phillips with a bunch of other people.
What song are you listening to on repeat right now?
The campaign has a great playlist with a lot of strong women artists. It’s a huge mix but mostly a little bit of Lizzo, new Fiona Apple, Beyoncé, Adele, Dolly Parton, and Kansas City native, Janelle Monáe!
Female icon you would be for Halloween?
The one and only R.B.G.
Telling as little or as much as you want, how are you feeling these days?
COVID-19 brings highs and lows. It’s a whirlwind of emotions.
How has the pandemic affected the way you’re campaigning/reaching out to fellow Missourians?
This pandemic affected our campaign but we are a strong team and have pushed through. Typically you reach voters by talking to them in person either by door knocking, events, meet and greets, but with COVID-19 we had to go virtual and digital as quickly as possible. We have a great team, and we have been running for two years now so we had a great opportunity for a year and half pre-COVID-19, knocking doors, in person events, and connecting with our community. Our team is strong and I’m very proud that we were able to pivot and switch to digital and virtual as quickly as we did. We are now doing a lot more phone banking to our voters and contactless lit dropping. We also have had a lot of successful virtual events. I do miss meeting everyone in person and I really miss hugs but our campaign has always put safety above everything.
What inspired you to run?
What inspired me to run was, first I’m a woman and we know that women, especially women of color have to be asked multiple times to run for something. I was asked repeatedly to run before I made the final decision. So if you are reading this and want to get involved or in the back of your mind you are thinking about running for something, consider this your first ask. We need you. There is a lack of women who are elected officials and our leadership continues to fail us. We need better representation in our government, if elected I would be the first Asian American woman to be elected into Missouri House. It’s 2020 and when our government starts to look like what America actually looks like, full of diverse people of all backgrounds, the more decisions will be made that will truly promote equality for everyone.
What do you want Kansas City to know about you and your campaign?
We have put together a great team that has always been putting safety first of the volunteers and you! I decided to run a year and half ago because I was worried about the present and future of Missouri. When we first started the campaign we started to talk to the community about the top issues they are seeing or what they were more concerned about. This helped us prioritize our top issues and we are focusing on the areas that matter most to district 24.
I will work to Increase access to affordable healthcare, work to fairly fund our public schools, fight for racial justice, and protect our reproductive healthcare. I’m also Pro Union, Pro LGBTQIA, Pro Environment and Pro common sense gun laws.
What have you learned about yourself over the course of this, your first campaign?
I've learned how to ask for help and to let go of control in some areas of the campaign.
What do you love about Kansas City? What do you think Kansas City needs to work on?
Kansas City is a great city, district 24 is the most progressive district in Missouri. What made me fall in love with this city is the uniqueness of each area, the local restaurants, art scenes, and the people. Kansas City is great but we do have a lot of work to do. We are leaving out some of our communities and with COVID-19 we have seen the areas that needed our help the most. We need to start investing in those areas, working on public transportation that connects the entire city, continue to improve our infrastructure and look for ways to make it more environmentally friendly. COVID-19 has proven that we need to have better solutions to help our small businesses, homeless, essential workers, education, and lower income communities. Kansas City is great, but we still have a lot of work to do.
What is your favorite thing about politics? Your least favorite?
Being able to create policies to help people, our community, and our state. My least favorite is when policies pass or people get elected that are not here to protect people, our community, and our state.
Many people feel lost or stuck when they encounter policies or politicians that they want to change but don’t know how, what can the average Kansas Citian do if they want to make an impact in their local politics?
Get involved! There are so many different organizations out there that you can get involved with or get more involved in political candidate campaigns. We have the ability to know and meet our local elected officials, go to their events or meetings, reach out if you have questions or comments, and understand your voice matters and you need to be heard.
What do you want for the future of politics?
To have a government that is full of diverse people of all backgrounds, and a government that doesn’t verbally or sexually assault one another.
What advice would you give other women trying to succeed in politics?
Never stop fighting. If you are thinking about getting involved more in politics, please do. If you are thinking about running for something someday, we know women, especially women of color, have to be asked multiple times before they decide to run. I was asked before I decided to run. Consider this your first ask. We need you.
How has your relationship with success changed over the course of your life?
As I have aged I've learned that what makes your heart happy constitutes success, not money or admiration but rather passion and purpose.
What was a formative moment in your life that made you who you are?
I've always been an activist. I grew up in a small community that was very conservative. I don't share the same views as my small town, but my parents did raise me to give back to the community.
What made me get more involved with politics was the 2016 election. The day after the 2016 election I was at the grocery store and a man told me to “Go back where you came from, China doll.” This was the realization that I needed to do more than just vote, so I got involved with organizations like Women in Politics and the Greater Kansas Women's Political Caucus, and then started knocking on thousands of doors to help get women who aligned with my values elected into office.
Now I’m running for office.
When do you feel the strongest in your life? When do you feel the most vulnerable in your life?
When I’m around the people that I love, I feel the strongest. I feel the most vulnerable when I’ve taken on too much to handle and refuse to let myself know it, and don’t practice self care. With the campaign I have learned to let others help and ask for help when needed, and that it’s okay to ask for help.
What have you been doing to maintain your mental health since the pandemic hit?
I try not to get down on myself when I feel I could have done more and I'm listening more to my body, and realizing when I need to stop and take a break. I try to stop everything by 9 PM, and unwind by watching the worst Netflix shows ever.
Who are five women that inspire you?
My mother
My mother-in-law
My hard working grandmother
Every feminist out there who has stepped up and stood for their rights
To all the womxn out there that have ever run for office: Thank you!
