Being overlooked can mean not getting your basic needs met. And when we think about which voices are often skipped over, rural communities are certainly on that list. In a special exploration of leaders in rural America, ChangeWire fellow Amina Jinadu talked to women who are reaching beyond of what they thought were their personal limits in order to be heard – while tackling personal and societal limits that previously stood in their way.
First stop: Wisconsin.
“Growing up in rural Wisconsin, politics was something you didn’t talk about. It was icky. It wasn’t for you, it was for them,” recalls Childcare Changemaker Corrine Hendrickson. As Hendrickson continues to break through the false narratives about who is fit to lead, she shared how she grappled with feelings of inadequacy and sometimes worried she didn’t belong near politics.
By the Census definition, 97 percent of Wisconsin’s land area is rural with 30 percent of the population living in rural areas. When you live in rural America, making change comes with extra battles against sparse proximity, lack of social support, and sometimes financial difficulties – Wisconsin ranks 7th nationally for its share of women in poverty.
Hendrickson has many roles: mother, wife, business owner, caregiver, and activist. She is organizing her village in New Glarus toward more accessible and equitable childcare – a win for both parents and caregivers.
By rejecting the ‘icky’ stigma of politics, her voice now reaches beyond her local community and state – this year she was invited to the White House for the Midwest Small Business Summit where she described how continued funding sources are essential to overstretched parents and self-subsidizing caregivers. Hendrickson’s small business Corrine’s Little Explorers benefited from funding from the American Rescue Plan. Supporting small businesses, calling them “the engines of the economy,” federal support has been a priority of the Biden administration, the White House reports.
In her sharings with Jinadu, Hendrickson sheds light on the cultural and societal obstacles that initially discouraged her political involvement, emphasizing her struggle with self-perception, expectations, and even backlash. One of the biggest lessons she has learned is that she doesn’t have to win likeability in the process of change making.
“If I am trying to please most people that are against me, they are probably never going to agree with me,” explained Hendrickson. “At the end of the day, I am not going to get them to like me.”
This past May, as part of Community Change’s 3rd Annual Day Without Childcare national day of action, Wisconsin organizers set a Day Without Child Care record with 18 local events in communities large and small, including Madison, Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, LaCrosse, Waunakee, Beaver Dam and Hendrickson’s New Glarus. Supporters also marched the following Saturday and rallied at the state capitol. The power of these events, saturated the local media market and resulted in at least 17 news hits, including a piece featuring Hendrickson by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Through her work, Hendrickson builds supportive networks and designs innovative ways to take action – ultimately, with her heart set on systemic change. Her story is a testament to realizing the power we truly have when we reject the false limits we are given and get outside of our comfort zone.