Inspirational Ladies of Liberty
I must admit that after state convention this year I was ready to quit my work with LPKS. I had a resignation email sitting in my inbox for weeks. At first, it was a couple other women in the party urging me to stay. “Don’t let the bastards get you down” one friend told me. “If you quit now then you are letting them win” another one said. I was feeling better but then I read a leadership book that very pointedly said “politics is not leadership.” Meaning that politicians are not the ones driving change but rather politicians should be reacting to change that citizens desire. So back to wanting to quit I went. What was the point of working in politics if it wasn’t going to drive the positive change I wanted to see in the world?
Then on a road trip I decided to listen to a free audiobook called “The Essential Women of Liberty.” It was being promoted by the Foundation for Economic Freedom and when I looked at the list of women included I am ashamed to admit I was really only familiar with a few of them.
Here’s the list of women included:
Mary Wollstonecraft
Harriet Martineau
Mary Paley Marshall
Rose Director Friedman
Isabel Paterson
Rose Wilder Lane
Ayn Rand
Anna J. Schwartz
Jane Jacobs
Elinor Ostrom
Deirdre McCloskey
I won’t touch on every woman’s contribution to the liberty movement here, but I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention them all. Other than Ayn Rand, I didn’t really know any of the other women. And even with Rand, I’ve never read any of her books. If you can make a suggestion on a good one to start with that touches the most on liberty issues, let me know! There were two women whose stories inspired me the most and they are who I want to share about today.
First, Rose Director Friedman. Rose was born in the part of Russia that is now Ukraine and her family fled to the United States in 1913. They settled in Portland and she later studied economics at the University of Chicago. Her dissertation focused on the issues of poverty and income and is still considered relevant today. In 1932 she sat down in one of her college classes next to none other than Milton Friedman. This was a name I knew. They married in 1938 and were married 68 years until his death in 2006.
Apparently in that time it was not uncommon for many husbands and wives to collaborate, as women still did not have the same access in this specific field as men. What stood out to me is the way Milton is remembered as constantly giving her due credit whenever he could. He famously stated that she was incredibly influential even if not credited as a co-author on his book “Capitalism and Freedom.” She was also a writer and producer for their 1980 book and PBS tv series called “Free to Choose.” I’ve never seen it but I’d love to find it!
Of all their works mentioned the one I am dying to read is actually their co-memoir called “Two Lucky People.” Their relationship is one of love but also of intellect. She once said “he has always made me feel that his achievement is my achievement.” Rose died in 2009 at age 98. She paved the way for female economists of today, but is also a inspiration to me as a wife and mother.
Next, Rose Wilder Lane. It must be something about the name Rose for me. Oh man was I on fire after I heard her story. Here’s what I remember from the audiobook: Rose is the daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Another name I definitely knew. What I didn’t know though was that Laura only ever wrote their family’s stories down because her daughter Rose urged her to. Rose was already an accomplished writer and so when the Great Depression hit she knew writing could be a way to generate income for their family - and boy was she right. Also something else I found really cool was that even during all that hardship her family is on record as some of the only open opponents of early government hand outs like the Homestead Act and the New Deal. Imagine being the people opposing those things during that time? It’s all so deliciously rebellious, I wish I could have seen it in person. I never noticed it before but their story is one of individual responsibility just as much as perseverance. My goodness there is so much there for us to internalize even today and how fun that they have ties right back here to Kansas!
I told myself I wouldn’t decide anything until after June and here we are mid-July and I am still a director with LPKS. So, why am I still here? I don’t have a great answer for you other than it’s just what I do. Freedom and Olivia just go hand in hand. But one thing I will take into the second half of this year: fighting for freedom is absolutely pointless if you don’t take the liberty to live out that freedom! Meaning that every single person involved in this organization is a volunteer. We all have day jobs, families, and personal lives to balance. I think many of us forget to actually live full lives outside of all the political work, which completely defeats the purpose and gives us very little patience when working with each other. I will continue to do this work, I will make a difference, I will enjoy the people I work with - but I will enjoy the life I have been fighting for from the beginning more than any of those things and I hope everyone else in the organization does too!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this blog post, as always the best place to message me is on Instagram @themamamarketer. Also be sure that you are subscribed to “the mama marketer” podcast on your favorite listening app as I continue my interview series with local Kansas Libertarians!
XO - Olivia
