N E W S APRIL 12 op-ed Inquiring Photographer: COMPILED BY ADJANI SHAH What are you most looking forward to this spring? The change of weather, that’s basically it. Oscar my dog will have more fun; we will walk longer. MARCO UTRERAS I’m expecting the baseball season, lighter clothing becomes appropriate, and the days become longer. JAMES WARD Taking nice long walks with my little dog Baby Bee and enjoying the warm weather on my walks. LOUISE MOUND The warm weather, winter to fi nally be over. I plan to spend more time outdoors with my dog and husband. “We’re All About You” PUBLISHER & EDITOR Victoria Schneps-Yunis ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Joshua A. Schneps EDITOR IN CHIEF Toni Cimino I don’t expect anything. I prefer the snow over the rain. Snow looks better and I don’t mind shoveling. BARRY RIFKIN Warm weather and some sunshine; looking forward to getting to the pool and hopefully getting back into shape. LEONARDO D’ONOFRIO LIZ FELD LeHavre Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd. Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 Sales Fax: 718-631-3498 e-mail: editorial@queenscourier.com ART DIRECTOR Jennifer Decio ARTISTS Stephen Reina Nirmal Singh Ron Torina Entire Contents Copyright 2013 by the LeHavre Courier. All letters sent to LEHAVRE COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Only letters with a name given will be accepted. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of LEHAVRE COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to LEHAVRE COURIER within fi ve days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. LEHAVRE COURIER assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold LEHAVRE COURIER and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. L E H A V R E Empowering women BY ASSEMBLYMEMBER NILY ROZIC Women’s History Month marks my third month as an assemblymember. It is a time to recognize the women who have come before to make this world a better place. While we have many great women to celebrate, we have more work ahead. At a time when polarization is defining many of today’s headlines, it is more important than ever to discuss how women’s voices alter the conversation. How can we work together to make our voices stronger? To borrow a phrase from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, how do we make sure that we are all getting off the sidelines? How do we make sure we are not waiting in a never-ending queue or that we are equal partners in the policy and decision making process? We have made progress in the number of women holding elected offi ce, but women remain severely underrepresented in our political institutions. Women still only make up 21 percent of the New York State Legislature and 18 percent of Congress, so it is clear that something is missing. That gap will be fi lled by the next generation of female leaders, and we must do what we can to encourage them to get involved. Women are underrepresented not because we cannot raise the money or talk to voters, but because we are less likely to even run in the fi rst place. On average, a woman is asked to run for offi ce seven times before she decides to run. More role models like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are needed to show young women they can aim high. There have been shining examples of this locally, particularly Congressmember Grace Meng’s historic victory this past November a huge victory for Queens women! I ran for offi ce to show young women that they can do it too -- that women could wake up every day, look in the mirror and know they can run and win. Mothers, aunts, sisters and daughters are good for our government and our nation. The fi ght for equality will not be won simply by having more female legislators. While New York has passed many laws to ensure women’s equality, we still have many steps to take. The Women’s Equality Act proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo will shine a light on many of the problems faced by New York women and take a big step forward on issues of pay equality and reproductive rights. The Women’s Equality Act is an effort that I will continue fi ghting for, as it is clear that women’s perspectives lead to better understanding, better conversation, and eventually better laws. There are also many times when women’s issues, such as reproductive rights, are discussed without input from female legislators or a discussion of how women are actually impacted. This scenario played out in Congress as House Republicans attempted to restrict access to birth control under President Barack Obama’s health care reform. Hormonal contraceptives are only available for women, yet there was not one woman on the panel invited to discuss the impact of the legislation. Underrepresentation is not always that obvious, however. The imbalance of women in public offi ce creates a lack of female voices at times they are most needed. The simple act of more women running for offi ce will change this dynamic, and it is important that we encourage young women to run. Women’s History Month is about empowerment, and nothing is more empowering than knowing that no offi ce is off limits. Politics has long been a fi eld in which women could not imagine themselves participating, and thankfully it is changing. As the youngest female legislator in the New York State Assembly, I see fi rsthand the contributions that women are making in government. 12 LEHAVRE COURIER | APRIL 2013 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM
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