Champions of Change

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President Obama is committed to making this the most open and participatory administration in history. That begins with taking your questions and comments, inviting you to join online events with White House officials, and giving you a way to engage with your government on the issues that matter the most.

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  • We're Not Illegal, We're Not Immoral, We're Not "Them" - We Are All "Us!"

    Posted by Judy Rickard on March 29, 2013 at 2:15 PM EDT

    Judy RickardJudy Rickard is being honored as a Champion of Change for her efforts as an Immigration Reformer.

    Since I came out as a lesbian in 1973 I have worked to stop discrimination and create equality in my San Francisco Bay Area community. In the early days it was hard to get people to listen to what I had to say in my fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation. It wasn't easy being different then and it wasn't easy trying to get discrimination to stop. Little by little, working in community, I helped make a difference and helped make people safer and more equal. But my story has not really changed - it just gets longer. Discrimination is still out there. When I was in my late 50s I ran into the biggest and baddest discrimination yet - from my own American government. And it was because of the best thing that had happened to me in years: I fell in love.

    Nothing is more personal than who you are, who you love, and how you create family. But because of who I am and who I love and how I have created my family, America forced me to choose between spouse and career, spouse and country, spouse and family, life as I knew it and an unknown future. That's not right! No American should have to face such choices. For me and my wife, and an estimated thirty-six thousand other such families, our futures are not our own. DOMA determines them. So my work to fight discrimination amped up big time.

    When I met my wife and we fell in love and committed to each other, we had no idea it would mean lots of separation and possibly leaving America, a future that still looms for us. I never thought I would have to leave my country to stay with my wife. Who would imagine that? It shouldn't be a risk, a problem, against the law to love and commit to someone born in another country. But we have paid a big price by being different, being a same-sex binational couple. We have been apart half of our time together because we are both women and not both American citizens. We have faced expenses and problems and stress that most people don't have to deal with  just to be partners, family, loved ones.

    When the hammer dropped five years ago, I made the right choice, the only one. I took early retirement with a reduced pension for the rest of my life so that my wife and I would be together more than apart. Why? Because Karin was detained in a cell at the San Francisco International Airport and told she was visiting the U.S. too often. She was told to get her affairs in order and leave the country for a long time. She wasn't even allowed to visit me for the usual six months. Her crime? She had been visiting too often.

    I knew we had to fight this discrimination and realized we needed a tool to share the information. My book, Torn Apart: United by Love, Divided by Law, is part memoir, part a collection of stories of others' who are discriminated against by DOMA, part a how-to on how others can help and part resource guide. It keeps getting updated with my blog and web site at http://tornapart.findhornpress.com.

    Sharing my story - personal and political - is how I roll. Letters to editors, conferences, phone calls, blogs; you name it, I do it. As my book came out, I met more allies. I got more press. I talked to elected officials. I spoke at churches. I spoke to organizations and conferences. I shared with LGBT seniors and youth. But the most powerful efforts by far were dialogues with immigrant groups. We learned of each other’s struggles and found commonality. I learned to go outside my comfort zone. And it just keeps going. Sharing that story. Finding those allies. Blogging. Posting on Facebook. Creating a Facebook page for my book. Creating a portrait project of same-sex binational couples. Creating a Facebook page for that. Working on the solution we all need. Sharing. Connecting. Making friends. Making community.

    So here I am, being honored as a Cesar Chavez Champion of Change. Something else new has happened to me because of my story. But the truth is very personal. Here it is: immigration, like sexual orientation, is not a skin color, or a country of origin, or a religion, or a culture, or an ethnicity. It's all that and more. It's not "them." It's "us." We need a country where we are all "us." Let's make it so!

    Some people think of immigrants and hold the word "illegal" in their hearts and minds. Some people think of the LGBT community and hold the word "immoral" in their hearts and minds. Imagine how that makes people like me and my wife feel! We live in that world where these two intersect - it's like pouring gas on a fire when people who hold illegal and immoral in their hearts and minds think of LGBT immigrants and same-sex binational families. These categories, LGBT and immigrant, are the two most volatile subjects in politics today. Who is going to help us? Who will include us in comprehensive, common sense immigration reform?

    DOMA is at the Supreme Court this week. Three bills are working their way slowly through Congress. President Obama has spoken out for people like me and my wife. I'm 65 now. My wife is 72. I sure hope to spend whatever remains of my golden years being able to do other things than fight to keep my wife with me. In my country we say that's the American dream: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I'd like an unimpeded chance at that. So would lots of others.

    Judy Rickard is the author of Torn Apart: United by Love, Divided by Law and works to promote civil rights.

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  • Passover Family Recipes in the Spotlight

    Posted by Zachary Kelly on March 25, 2013 at 4:25 PM EDT

    During this festival of freedom, Jews gather around the Seder table to engage in one of the oldest traditions in the Jewish faith. One of the highlights of the Passover holiday is, of course, the food. On Passover, food assumes a special role: it not only nourishes; it educates. As families gather around the Seder table, much of the night’s discussion revolves around the Seder plate. The Seder plate, or the ke’ara, holds six traditional items: the marror, lettuce, shank bone, egg, charoset, and the vegetable.  These foods have played a central role in the Passover Seder throughout generations, allowing Jews today to connect with their forbearers from thousands of years ago.

    As President Obama said in his Passover statement this year:

    "Passover is a celebration of the freedom our ancestors dreamed of, fought for, and ultimately won. But even as we give thanks, we are called to look to the future. We are reminded that responsibility does not end when we reach the promised land, it only begins. As my family and I prepare to once again take part in this ancient and powerful tradition, I am hopeful that we can draw upon the best in ourselves to find the promise in the days that lie ahead, meet the challenges that will come, and continue the hard work of repairing the world. Chag sameach." --President Obama

    As in previous years, we have compiled recipes for Passover from members of the White House staff. These dishes, like the foods displayed on the Seder plate, inspire those who enjoy them to remember their own family histories. Whether eliciting warm memories from childhood or a grandparent’s experience in a foreign land, or serving as an expression of a unique ethnic or cultural background, these foods bring further meaning and power to this special holiday. Chag Sameach.

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  • President Obama's Passover Message

    Posted by Zachary Kelly on March 25, 2013 at 3:35 PM EDT

    This week, President Obama completed his historic trip to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. During the trip he reiterated the unbreakable bonds between the United States and Israel and America’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security as well as the importance of security, peace and prosperity for all in the region.

    President Obama also touched upon the upcoming Passover holiday, the powerful symbols that it represents, and the inspiration it provides to him and to all people seeking a more just and peaceful future.

    See a statement from President Obama on Passover.

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  • Black Men: Here’s Your Wake-up Call

    Posted by Anton J. Gunn on March 22, 2013 at 1:39 PM EDT

    Ed. note: This is cross-posted forom The Grio.

    Have you received a wake-up call yet?

    For too many of us, it takes a sudden wake-up call — in the form of a major or minor health crisis — to make us realize that we’re not invincible.  And tragically, for some, that call comes too late.

    As black men, we often don’t talk about our health or seek help until something goes wrong. We may exercise and eat right. We may know how our habits today affect how we feel. But what about tomorrow? Are we making the right choices to stay healthy as we grow older? Most importantly, are we having the right conversations about health and well-being with our sons and our fathers, with our brothers, our colleagues, our neighbors, and our friends?

    According to the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, black men are 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease and 60 percent more likely to die from a stroke than white men. And unfortunately, the list goes on — black men still suffer from higher rates of disease and chronic illness such as prostate cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

    Unless we act now, these disparities will continue to affect generations to come.  Their existence should be a wake-up call for all black men. It’s time to invest not only in our own health, but in the health of our communities.

    That starts by putting ourselves in the driver’s seat when it comes to our own care. The health care law signed by President Obama in 2010 is removing many of the obstacles to health care we’ve faced in the past. It provides access to preventive services – like screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes – at no cost to us.

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  • Champions of Change: Women Veterans

    Posted by Rosye Cloud on March 21, 2013 at 6:55 PM EDT

    It is our honor to celebrate the many accomplishments of our women veterans as our Champions of Change. At this time in our Nation's history there are more women serving in our Armed Forces than ever before. Since the creation of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901 women have been faithfully serving in our Armed Forces as nurses, mechanics, pilots, ship captains, unit commanders and more.  In these jobs women have found themselves on the front-lines, but by the Administration's decision to lift the ban on combat positions to women gives them a chance to serve in all military roles. The opportunities in and out of military service continue to expand for women. For many of them their selfless service does not end when they take off the uniform for the last time, instead they continue to serve not only their communities, but also the very people they stood side-by-side with.

    Marsha Four is a shining example one of these women. She served in the Army as a nurse during the Vietnam War. After leaving the service she was determined to help her fellow veterans and founded a 95-bed transitional home for homeless veterans. She also founded  Mary E. Walker House, transitional residence program for homeless women veterans.

    Marsha's story is just one of the many you will get to hear today from women who have dedicated their lives to the service of others. We are thrilled to be able to honor 14 incredible women in our Champions of Change event. Following their military service, these women have integrated back into the communities and become leaders in their schools, business, and local governments.

    We couldn't possibly capture all the amazing contributions our women veterans are making across the nation. But we remain dedicated to the commitment we have made to all veterans. The Administration continues to demonstrate this promise by signing the Veteran Skills to Jobs Act, VOW to Hire Heroes Act, and an Executive Order to strengthen suicide prevention and veteran mental health care services. Joining Forces, led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, continue to enlist community and local support by securing veteran hiring commitments from corporations around the country, establishing educational commitments from state and national nursing organizations and nursing schools, and campaigning for state credentialing and licensing legislation to assist veterans in translating their hard earned skill sets to the civilian sector.

    It is the combined dedication of the women we honor as Champions of Change, our local communities, corporations nationwide, the Administration, and many more that secure our Nation's commitment to those who serve. We were excited about the day's events, and excited to meet some of these amazing women.

    Champions for Change: Women Veterans

    • Sharie Derrickson, Nashville TN. A Navy veteran and Vice President of New Wind, LLC  who sought out energy start-up companies to join.
    • Priscilla Mondt, Fayetteville AR. An Army & Desert Storm veteran with Bronze Star, as a VA Chaplain she runs a scholarship program for other chaplains.
    • Glenna Tinney, Arlington VA. A retired Navy Captain who has managed military domestic violence and sexual assault programs as a former Dep. Director of the Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence and current Program Coordinator for the Battered Women’s Justice Project.
    • Stacy Pearsall, Charleston SC. An Army veteran with three tours in Iraq which led to Bronze Star two time winner of NPPA Military Photographer of the Year. She owns Charleston Center for Photography and donates art to the Charleston VAMC.
    • Ginger Miller, Accokeek MD. A Coast Guard veteran and founder of Women Veterans Interactive (formerly John 14:2), which has a Guidstar.org seal of approval. She is formerly homeless and started these organizations to assist other women veterans with their point of need.
    • Natasha Young, Boston MA. A Marine veteran, Gunny Sgt, who deployed to Iraq twice and lost 6 marines during her deployments. She was selected as a Mission Continues fellow and was then hired as an Outreach Coordinator.
    • Wilma Vaught, Arlington VA. Founder of Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation (WIMSA). Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, USAF, Retired, is President of the Board of Directors of the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation, Inc. Her last military assignment was as Commander of the US Military Entrance Processing Command, North Chicago, IL, where she served from June 1982, until her retirement in August 1985. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Women’s History Museum and serves on the Virginia War Memorial Foundation Board of Trustees. Following retirement, she worked as a consultant with the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization as well as with industry. She speaks around the US on leadership and management and is a frequent guest on radio and television programs.
    • Marsha Four, Springfield PA. An Army veteran, Vietnam nurse and founder of a 95-bed transitional housing  residence (LZ II) for homeless Veterans recovering from substance abuse. She is also the founder of the Mary E. Walker House, transitional residence program for homeless women Veterans located on the grounds of Coatesville VA Medical Center.
    • Marylyn Harris, Houston TX. An Army veteran and nurse who created Women Veterans Business Center to educate and empower women Veterans and military families to start and grow their own businesses.
    • Becky Kanis, Los Angeles CA. An Army veteran and director of the 100,000 Homes Campaign, a national movement of over 185 communities working to find permanent homes for chronic and medically vulnerable homeless Americas.
    • Kayla Williams, Ashburn VA. An Army & Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran who advocates on Veterans policy issues, especially those that promote gender equality in the military and equal access to benefits and services for women Veterans. Served on the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans. Actively participates on panel, radio, and television discussion on women’s combat experiences, to help stakeholders, policy makers, and the public gain an understanding of how combat can impact the lives of the women who experience it.  
    • Michelle Racicot, Albuquerque NM. An Army Operation Enduring Freedom & Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, nurse practitioner. She is on the advisory board of American Women Veterans, and a community advocate (fundraiser/educator/volunteer) on homelessness.
    • Dawn Halfaker, Arlington VA. An Army Operation Enduring Freedom & Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran and founder and CEO of Halfaker and Associates. President of the Board of Directors for Wounded Warrior Project.
    • Tia Christopher, Davis CA. A Navy Veteran who currently works for the Farmer-Veteran Coalition as the Director of FVC’s Fellowship Fund. Ms. Christopher speaks nationally on issues facing women veterans, has testified before state and national legislature, and was a community instructor for the National Center for PTSD, Menlo Park. Christopher serves as an advisory board member for The Pathway Home: California Transition Center for Care of Combat Veterans.
    Champions of Change: Women Veterans 3/18/13

    Rosye Cloud is the Director of Policy for Veterans, Wounded Warriors, and Military Families.

  • The Best and Worst in Humanity

    Posted by Stacy L. Pearsall on March 21, 2013 at 6:54 PM EDT

    Stacy Pearsall Stacy Pearsall is being honored as a Champion of Change for her efforts as a woman veteran.

    As a combat photographer, I traveled to over 42 countries documenting military training exercises and real-world operations. I witnessed and documented the best and worst in humanity. Over the course of my time spent in the warzone, the implements of war injured me as well as the unseen wounds combat vets often struggle with. In an effort to maintain my tough-guy persona, I hid my physical and emotional pain from those around me. As a woman, I’d worked hard to earn the respect of my peers and I didn’t want to give them any reason to think I wasn’t capable of completing the mission. However, one final injury I sustained during an ambush in Iraq made hiding that pain impossible. My physical wounds ultimately ended my active duty military career.

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  • “Hidden Wounds Of War.”

    Posted by Marylyn R. Harris on March 21, 2013 at 4:27 PM EDT

    Marylyn HarrisMarylyn Harris is being honored as a Champion of Change for her efforts as a woman veteran.

    For over ten years, I never told my story. I rarely mentioned the fact that I was in the military or that I was a combat veteran.  Like many women Veterans, I kept this information tightly guarded and believed that the memories of my military service were safely in the past, locked away in my mental vault.

    Almost two years ago, I was asked to share my story for a National VA Campaign called “Make the Connection.” I was told that my story of resilience, healing, and transformation could serve to inspire other Veterans healing from military-related traumas such as post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma and physical illnesses. I was asked to share some of the resources I utilized to heal. I highlighted the role of the Vet Center in my healing and the role of Entrepreneurship in my personal transformation.

    In 2009, I had a burning desire to help Veterans and Military Families. I did not want another Veteran denied optimal quality of life because they had “hidden wounds of war.” I sought out to locate other like-minded individuals and organizations that understood that some Veterans have challenges working in traditional employment settings after being exposed to war. I joined numerous Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) and actively worked within them to raise the level of awareness about disturbing trends I identified in women veterans like me. This population has many unmet needs, such as high unemployment, growing homelessness, unprecedented suicide rates, high divorce rates, child custody issues, dishonorable military discharges and chronic hopelessness. The Center for Women Veterans reported in 2010 that there are over 1.8 million Women Veterans in the United States. California, Texas, and Florida have the largest populations of Women Veterans and consequently, some of the biggest unmet needs.

    Since I live in Houston, a city with over 30,000 women veterans, I decided to pick one variable that I could impact positively and work hard to fix it. I formed a team and began to host free networking events for veterans, military family members, and Veteran Service Providers. I inquired about the immediate needs of this population. It was very obvious to me that male veterans are able to socialize with each other and get their needs met. Male Veterans continue the camaraderie they get used to in the military.  However, only a small percentage of women veterans are involved in veterans’ organizations, few women veterans continue to communicate with other women veterans after discharge, and women veterans rarely self-identify as a Veteran. Even fewer pursue business ventures.

    I decided to be a “change agent” and committed to educating and empowering Women Veterans to start and grow businesses.  After doing a year of “market research,” it was glaringly obvious to me that a huge unmet need existed in Houston and throughout the country to mobilize this “economic sleeping giant” of Women Veterans.

    Next, I sought out programs that educate and support Veterans to start businesses. These were scarce at the time. In 2010, I located and attended the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) at Florida State University (FSU). EBV changed my life! EBV is a collaboration between the U.S. Small Business Administration and Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families. In my EBV Class, there were twenty-one Veteran Entrepreneurs in the Program. Twenty male veterans and me.

    After graduating from EBV, I had a “community of support” and a “supplier network” in the other EBV graduates, faculty, and supporters from around the country. After so many years, I finally felt supported! I was again connected with the Military Community, a source of strength. Five months after graduating from EBV, with my children committed to help, we self-funded and launched the country's first Women Veterans Business Center in a two-day Grand Opening Event. Day One focused on building alliances with Community Partners (SBA, SBDC, SCORE, local politicians, Veteran, State and Federal and private entities). On Day Two, we hosted our first Women Veterans Business Bootcamp at Houston City Hall in the Mayors Boardroom.

    The Inaugural Event was a huge success and we currently host quarterly Women Veterans Business Bootcamps focusing on Financing Your Business and Business Resources and Opportunities. In 2011, we held our first Anniversary Celebration where we hosted an Entrepreneurial Challenge for Military Youth, and awarded a Woman Veteran Business of the Year Award and a Military Friendly Company of the Year Award. The response to our Programs has been huge.

    As a result of my personal Entrepreneurial transformation and Community Partnerships, I now travel nationally with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families’ program Veteran-Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Conference (V-WISE) as the National V-WISE Ambassador!  I exhibit and give presentations at local and regional events, and also was able to present at the National Veterans Small Business Conference.  I have written a Resource Guide Series for Texas Veterans called, 25 FREE Resources Every Texas Veteran Needs to Know. I also received a National Appointment and serve on the federally chartered Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs (Public Law 106-50). I believe I am “passionately purposed” to do this work.

    Last year, the Women Veterans Business Center partnered with the Kaufman Foundation and trained and launched 26 new Houston Veteran Owned Businesses utilizing the Kauffman “FastTrac New Venture” Program. In late March, the Women Veterans Business Center will achieve another milestone. Houston is a city without a military base. No source exists to communicate information to the thriving Houston Military Community. The Center will begin hosting free monthly Veteran Owned Business Information Sessions on the last Tuesday morning of every month. Now active Service Members, Veterans, and Military Families in Houston will have a central place to get accurate information and referrals on starting a Veteran Owned Business.

    I am honored to continue my “Service to America” by educating and empowering Women Veteran Owned Businesses to start, grow, heal, and improve the quality of their lives and communities across the US...that's what I do.

    Thank you to the White House for this honor.

    Marylyn Harris founded the nation’s first and only Women Veterans Business Center (WVBC) in Houston, Texas.

  • Sisterhood, Service, and Sacrifice

    Posted by Ginger Miller on March 21, 2013 at 3:44 PM EDT

    Ginger MillerGinger Miller is being honored as a Champion of Change for her efforts as a woman veteran.

    In the early 90's after a medical discharge from the Navy, I became homeless, along with my husband who is a disabled veteran and our young son. The sad part is, I didn’t know I was homeless; I thought I was simply surviving. To make ends meet, I worked three jobs while going to school full time. This was a time in my life that I isolated myself from my peers. I was ashamed to ask for help because, honestly, I did not know help was available, and the sense of pride I felt while in the military was diminished.

    After suffering in silence for more than a decade due to my husband's untreated Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, I finally spoke up by creating John 14:2, Inc, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting homeless and at risk veterans. My thoughts were that, if it happened to me, there have to be thousands more just like me who are suffering in silence, homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

    Two years after the inception of John 14:2, I felt like there was something missing. I got up at three o'clock one morning and looked in the mirror. The person I saw was Ginger Miller, Woman Veteran; Ginger Miller, Former Homeless Veteran; Ginger Miller, Disabled Veteran. Then a light went on. It became crystal clear to me that I needed to do something specifically for women veterans, and I did just that.

    As a woman veteran, I recognize the call to sisterhood, service, and sacrifice and this is why I started Women Veterans Interactive (WVI), which meets Women Veterans at their points of need. WVI is an organization for women veterans by women veterans, willing to roll our sleeves up to assist our sister veterans, ensuring that we never leave one behind. If a women veteran is homeless, in need of a mentor or support services, or looking for a great way to get involved in community outreach, we can meet those needs. We support women veterans through Advocacy, Empowerment, Interaction, Outreach, and Unification (AEIOU), with Outreach being my biggest priority for the organization.

    Women Veterans Interactive (WVI) has programs and events designed specifically for woman veterans, including our Empowerment and Unification Lunch Cruises that give women the opportunity to have peer-to-peer interaction, food, and fun while enjoying nautical views. Most importantly, these cruises are a time for them to find out about the services and benefits available to them in an effort to break down the barriers that lead to homelessness. Our first year, we had over 600 woman veterans participate and held the event in both Maryland and New York. Other programs we hold include our Women Veterans Financial Literacy Program and our Women Veterans Breakfast Series. Topics for the breakfast series are include “The Great Transition and Benefits,” “Homelessness,” “Education and Employment,” and “Mentorship.” In addition WVI provides Turkey Baskets, Christmas Toys, winter coats, referrals for housing and employment, and rental assistance.

    To see the look and feel the appreciation and relief flowing from a woman veteran’s heart when she comes to pick up food to feed her children for Thanksgiving, or to hear a woman veteran say, “Thank you Ms. Ginger, now me and my babies can have Thanksgiving Dinner,” is simply priceless.

    Recently, there was a woman veteran who came to pick up food for Thanksgiving who looked familiar to me. I realized that this was one of the women who lived in a transitional facility that WVI went to visit. This particular woman had moved into permanent housing during the Thanksgiving Holiday, and we provided her with Thanksgiving Dinner for her and her son, whom she just regained custody of.

    As a compassionate servant and leader, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to serve at various state and county levels on the Maryland Commission for Women, the Maryland Caregivers Support Coordinating Council, the Maryland Veterans Resilience Initiative, and as Chairwoman of the Prince George’s County Veterans Commission.

    When people ask what drives me, I just simply say I remember feeling lonely, depressed, scared, and ashamed, and I remember being homeless and not having enough food to eat. I remember the transition, the struggle…I remember being these women.

    Ginger Miller is the Founder and CEO of Women Veterans Interactive.