Our Story
Our Mission is to ensure young women identified folx’s voices influence political decisions about our bodies, our lives, and our futures.
“We haven’t seen college students come together in force since the Vietnam War. And when they did, their government and community listened. They put aside their differences to come up with a common goal and pushed this country forward. We need to see that again. We need college students to come together, to put aside their differences and create a common agenda. From there, they demand that if elected officials want their votes, they need to listen to the students’ voices.”
Senator Tom Harkin, July 2014
In the summer of 2014, Jen interned for the U.S. Senate HELP Committee under Chairman Senator Tom Harkin— a true visionary and an earnest advocate for everyday Americans. At an intern lunch they each got to ask a question and so Jen asked, “In the midst of a gridlocked Congress, what can college students do to improve the workplace for women?”
The answer sparked an idea
A year later, this idea took on a life of its own when Jen gathered friends whom she trusted and looked up to immensely. Together we talked of how tired we were of feeling helpless; of sitting on the sidelines as witnesses to injustice; of watching government act in the interest of big business rather than the voices of the people whom they were elected to represent; of waiting, and waiting, and waiting, for equality and instead witnessing and experiencing hate. We knew we were far from alone; and it was time to do something about it. So we got to work. To anyone who says that women only tear each other down, this team is a testament to how much stronger we— and our ideas— can be when we stand together.
Our Vision
Platform strives for a government that serves all people, protects all people, and celebrates all people. Therefore, Platform works to amplify the voices of all who identify as young women in order to advance feminist dialogue and policies. To that end, Platform’s members drive and create our agenda. Our team knows that young women are not waiting for someone to “give us a voice” and young women are not waiting to be told our own truths. Young women just need a platform so that we can make our voices heard, our words respected, and our rights protected.
