Republican presidential candidate
former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney talks with his running mate Rep.
Paul Ryan of Wisconsin aboard their campaign plane on Tuesday, October
23, en route to Denver. A day after the final presidential debate,
Romney is campaigning in Nevada and Colorado.
HIDE CAPTION
From the campaign trail
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Jane Edmonds says her dad, school official discouraged her from pursuing law career
- She ultimately worked for Gov. Mitt Romney in Massachusetts as cabinet member
- Romney has record of hiring women in Massachusetts; he cares about women, she says
- Edmonds: Romney has stood for opportunity and empowerment, big concerns of women
Editor's note: Jane
Edmonds served as a member of Gov. Mitt Romney's cabinet and as head of
the Department of Workforce Development in Massachusetts. She also was
an appointee of Gov. Michael S. Dukakis and served as chair of the
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), the civil rights
law enforcement agency for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She is a
surrogate for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
(CNN) -- "Baby, law isn't a good profession for girls," my father told me.
"Stay with music, dear, that is what you and your people do so well," my high school dean said.
I was 16, and asking them the most important question of my life: Will you tell me how to become a lawyer?
Jane Edmonds
My dad was a product of
the segregated South. Orphaned at the age of 12, he pulled himself up by
his bootstraps. After leaving Georgia for Washington, where he lived
with a relative, he attended an integrated school, Dunbar High.
Eventually, he earned his way into Syracuse University, where he was one
of the first black men to graduate. In spite of his achievements, he
and our family faced discrimination. Nevertheless, he kept his sense of
humor, and worked hard to be a good provider.
My father's message was loving and protective. He didn't want to see me hurt.
My dean's message was
scornful and discriminatory. She took a sledgehammer to my dreams, and
when I left her office that day, I was crushed and fighting tears. I
couldn't understand her answer.
I wanted to go to a good
college, attend a respected law school and advocate for people needing
help and craving justice. I refused to abandon these high hopes.
And I didn't. I followed my dreams and went to law school. More than 40 years later, I became one of the 10 women named to top policy-making posts
in the early months of Gov. Mitt Romney's administration in
Massachusetts. There, I headed up the Department of Workforce
Development. During Gov. Romney's tenure, our state led the nation in
terms of the ratio of women holding top spots in the administration, and
to this day, that's something about which I am incredibly proud to have
been a part of.
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And so, as I've heard
criticism about Gov. Romney's admirable record of recruiting women to
serve in his administration, I feel compelled to speak out about the
Mitt Romney I know.
I remember meeting him
for the first time. I was struck by his authenticity, and over the years
that I worked with him, I saw the accuracy of my first impression. Gov.
Romney's overriding commitment was not to self-promotion -- as is so
often the case for politicians -- but for the people he served, and the
people he served with. He believes in empowering women. I would know,
because I was one of those women he recruited and respected.
Today, there are more
than 5 million women around this country -- mothers, daughters,
breadwinners -- who are unemployed. They are not only robbed of their
dignity and their self-respect; they are also robbed of the results of
decades of hard work. More women are in poverty -- 25.7 million -- than at any time in our nation's history.
And for too many young people, the doors of opportunity remain closed shut by these tough economic circumstances. Half of recent college graduates are either jobless or underemployed. The cost of college has continued to rise in the last four years and student loan debt stands at record levels.
When Mitt Romney was
governor, he worked with a legislature that was 87% Democratic to get
things done. And to me, that really meant something: I consider myself a
liberal Democrat. For him, it wasn't about who you were, it was about
the quality of your ideas. That's how he improved the economy and
balanced the budget, but that's not all he accomplished. Gov. Romney
also initiated the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship to cover the cost
of college at public institutions of higher education in the state for
deserving high school students based on academic merit.
During his time as governor, Massachusetts maintained its schools' ranking as first in the nation.
Opportunity.
Empowerment. That's what Mitt Romney has stood for while in politics and
in business, and that's what matters to women. In government, he
created opportunities for young people to attend college. In business,
he took a chance on people to allow their dreams to flourish into
realities.
I've been able to rise
in life because of people who see the world this way. Looking back, I'm
grateful to those who believe that education is a civil right and that
the dreams of all should be encouraged and cultivated. And that's
precisely why I'm supporting Mitt Romney.
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