EDIT - My Letter to Joe Biden

Edited 10.17.20 - read to the bottom for additions.

I just wrote Joe Biden a letter, but not for the reason you may think.

I worked for a music venue for four years and in November of 2016, former vice president Joe Biden came to give a speech promoting Hilary Clinton for president.

I worked this event as Production Assistant, getting the dressing rooms set up, making sure his team knew where to set up and where everything was around the venue and assisting my Production Manager.

Joe Biden’s team had a ton of security and also a ton of women who were controlling the set up and running the show. I was so inspired by these powerful women working on his team. And I was also intimidated.

I remember telling my Production Manager that I could never be as put together and good at my job as these women were.

And he said to me "Yes, you can. You're more like them than you think."

This hit me at a time I was trying to come into my own power in an industry dominated by men.

And it hits me again at a point in my life where I feel more in my power than ever before.

That day and those words my boss said to me - to be lifted up and have my value and potential be recognized by a man - is very reminiscent to me of Joe Biden asking Kamala Harris to be his vice-presidential nominee.

I've been thinking of this parallel between that day in my life and this day in American history. I'm grateful for open-minded men recognizing and lifting up the work and value that women have in this world when so many men are threatened by it.

I almost didn't get a photo taken with Joe, but at the last minute I snuck in there with my runner and got one. Joe was such a sweetheart giving us this sacred time at the end of his busy day.

But I never got a code to collect the photo.

So I relayed this entire message to Joe Biden’s team (of inspiring women, of course) to plead with them to help me find this photo.

But I know that even if I don’t find it, I'll always have the memory of how important that day was for me and how important this moment is for women around this country.

I couldn't be more excited to go vote in November!

EDIT October 17, 2020

So in August, I relayed this above feminist-power message to Biden's team of how my work situation was similar to Kamala Harris’s VP-nominee situation (LOL) to plead with them to help me find this photo.

Meanwhile, I was texting with my runner Grace, about how disappointing it was we didn't have this picture.

And then, out of the blue one day, she texts it to me.

She was looking through her old photos and texting them to another friend and she randomly found this one.

I gotta tell you, I couldn't stop smiling and laughing. For like 10 minutes I was jumping up and down. I was so happy to have a memory of this day that stood out to me in my career.

If I had always HAD that photo, I wouldn’t have reflected on that day in my life which helped me understand the significance in a different way. Without this photo, I realized that I totally could be one of those women working for Joe Biden; I realized how special it was to take a photo with this man; and I realized how amazing he would be (and already has been) for this country.

So here it is - the infamous photo of me and Grace and Joe.

Story full circle! And I can only hope that this story comes full circle in November as well.

If no one has told you yet today, go vote. You know who I'll be voting for.