Her Voice: Women let children dress them to raise money for advocacy organization
“Thankfully there were no cameras, but I had to show up and say, ‘Just so you know, this is why I have boots on with shorts,’ ” she said.
There were days she even let her daughter do her makeup and her 7-year-old son style her hair.
The 44-year-old Bismarck woman is executive director and founder of the North Dakota Women’s Network, a statewide organization that advocates for women’s equality.
Letting her children choose her outfits was part of a fundraiser for the organization. About 15 women participated in the Styled by a Child campaign to raise money by asking for pledges in exchange for wearing whatever their children chose all last week. The women posted photos of their outfits on www.styledbyachild.org and showed them off in person and in a slideshow Saturday at a fashion show at the Fargo Theatre.
Stromme and Katie Aitchison, a member of the North Dakota Women’s Network, were inspired by a blogger to let their children dress them. Aitchison’s mother suggested they turn it into a fundraiser.
They hope to make it an annual event. Not only did it raise awareness and funds for the Women’s Network, but Stromme said it also created a unique bonding opportunity with her kids.
“What was really fun about it was how you were about to talk about who you are with your child,” she said. “It gave me the opportunity for her to see me in a larger context besides just Mom. I also felt like it gave her a lot of power and confidence.”
Stromme started the Women’s Network in 2006. The group works to support the equality of women and girls through legislation, public activism and programs like Ready to Run, which provides training to encourage women to take leadership roles and run for public office.
“We really work to help women find that voice so they can advocate for themselves,” she said.
Before starting the organization, Stromme worked for a domestic violence shelter, a domestic violence legal clinic and the North Dakota Council on Abused Women’s Services.
“One of the key pieces of why women are victims and are experiencing violence at a greater rate is because they are not seen as equals,” she said. “Those who commit violence against women often do it because they think of women as property. The only way you can move forward in safety for women is through equality.”
Stromme grew up in Stanton and attended college at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where she studied English literature and minored in women’s studies.
In April, she was honored by President Barack Obama as a White House Champion of Change for Working Families. She received the award for working with the North Dakota Legislature to tighten laws pertaining to pregnancy discrimination and let employers know they have to give pregnant women reasonable accommodations like extra breaks or permission to carry water.
“Pregnant women were not getting the accommodations they need,” she said. “It passed nearly unanimously.”
Since then, Stromme said more women have been reaching out to the organization for help.
Her biggest challenge, she said, is convincing people that women have not achieved equality.
“North Dakotans are pretty hesitant to talk about controversy,” she said. “We’re so reticent to have any tough conversations and rock the boat in any way. We really still struggle with expectations of who we’re to be as Midwesterners.”
If you go
What: Ready to Run preview
When & Where: 7 p.m. Oct. 26 Menard Hall 230, North Dakota State University, Fargo
7 p.m. Nov. 10 Bismarck/Mandan Chamber of Commerce, 1640 Burnt Boat Drive, Bismarck
Full training Feb. 5-6 in Fargo
Contact: (701) 226-1116 or network@ndwomen.org
Online: www.ndwomen.org
Article published in InForum.