An interview with Tina Tchen, current assistant to President Barack Obama and Chief of Staff for first lady Michelle detailed the United State of Women summit; also referred to by Tchen specifically as “the culmination of the last seven years” in her time working for the Administration. The summit, beginning May 23, 2016, will be very first one dedicated exclusively to women and girls. According to Tchen’s assertion, “women’s lives do not exist in silos”, and the audience of the summit is expected to be composed of a diverse body of attendees. These attendees include professionals from “academia, activist groups, and the corporate world” (Calkins, 2016). Tchen strongly desires to advocate the participation of young women in the community to focus on “solutions that work” (Calkins, 2016). The various representatives will be hosting important talks at the summit that detail the multifaceted issues of background, health and wellness, opportunity for education, and violence towards women.
After the panel, Tchen began to discuss particularly inquisitive questions, including addressing the matter of what makes the summit stand out from previous ones. According to Tchen, the matter of interloping and connecting together the various threads of issues that face women is the key strategy. In her recent initiative know as Let Girls Learn, Tchen exemplifies how she was able to tie together the issues of “maternal health, child health, the economy, child marriage, education, etc” (Calkins, 2016). When challenged on the matter of differentiating the younger generation of female activists from the older ones, Tchen explained that what she noticed different was the way that the “next generation is translating their personal lives into their activism in a way” that she “does not think her generation did” (Calkins, 2016). Unfortunately, Tchen also stresses that part of the reason the new generation does not receive the credit it deserves is due to the failure to tell their stories in a way that projects to a larger demographic. To utilize her words, “taking an experience, connecting it to various policies in place, and taking action on these fronts” (Calkins, 2016). Furthermore, Tchen emphasizes that there is a definitive surplus of civic engagement given her previous experience with the Obama campaign. Despite this, she believes that issues have become more complicated in modern times yet still retain the same importance as ethically black and white ones; giving examples such as “long-term contraception” and “access to care” (Calkins, 2016). With regards to any potential issues falling out of the jurisdiction of the government, Tchen believes that while the issues facing gender inequality and others alike are for everybody to participate in, they are better suited for special interest groups including “NGOs, academia, and activists” (Calkins, 2016). She then immediately explains why in the White House Council on Women and Girls they make it a point in include “all the government agencies and people from all sectors” (Calkins, 2016). On ascertaining a particular quality that she believes is most responsible for her success and the success of the opening of the United State of Women summit, Tchen simply decides that it comes from the natural ability to connect individuals. When faced with the role and value of social media from a government perspective, Tchen believes that the Internet provides a bountiful accessibility to information with “brand-new ways to engage with people” (Calkins, 2016); both of which she sees as positive. However, she does not fail to look at the negatives associated with the gift of the information revolution, including matters of bullying and harassment. Most importantly in my opinion, Tchen stresses the far reaching power that social media allows when compared to a campaign trail; hearing the voices of the minorities, the afraid, and the unknown.
- Calkins, Kelley. “An Interview With Michelle Obama’s Chief of Staff Tina Tchen”. The Huffington Post. 08 February 2016. Web. 22 March 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
