Two weeks ago, at Philadelphia's Blarney Stone, I announced that I would be running for State Representative in Pennsylvania's 175th District. And as there was a huge rush to get petitions signed, there was no time to talk about why I was running. On Monday afternoon, I handed in 850 signatures at the Board of Elections making me an official candidate.
As I now have a second to draw a quick breath, I'd like to start telling you why I am running, and why winning this particular seat is important step in transforming the district, the city, the state, and the eventually the country.
Some background:
Pennsylvania's 175th district lies in the heart of Philadelphia. With an eastern boarder of the Delaware River, a southern border near the historic Gloria Dei Church, encompassing all-American sites such as Liberty Bell and South Street, and embracing Philadelphia neighborhoods from Queen Village up to Fishtown - the 175th District is a microcosm of America's rich urban history.
As I walk from my Queen Village neighborhood (formerly Southwark before developers re-named it) north up "Two" Street, made famous by the Mummers inebriated struts on New Years, I pass by an historical marker for Tom Paine and his famous pamphlet. Tom Paine was perhaps the original revolutionary hero - an immigrant from England who saw the potential of America to deliver freedoms to its entire people, not just the privileged class.
I, too, am an immigrant to Philadelphia. I was born and raised in a rural farm-town in Northwestern Ohio. Like many people my age, there was no work to be found at home so I moved around a lot - living in Indiana, New Jersey, Vermont, and Texas until I met my husband on UPenn's campus and settled down. In 1999, upon moving into a Trinity on 3rd and Fitzwater together, we began to fall in love with the city and its people - walking and watching people on South Street, eating at the Reading Terminal Market, taking relatives to visit Indepence Hall...
But in the winter of 2003, I suddenly became politically active almost overnight - all because of the Iraq War. Gathering together in the packed upper story of the Standard Tap in April 2003, a group of mostly young, professional, and previously politically uninvolved Philadelphians met to discuss the impending invasion of Iraq and how to support Howard Dean - the outspoken presidential candidate who opposed it. Out of that gathering was born Philly for Dean, a group of newly energized and newly politically active Philadelphians dedicated to altering our country's historical course.
Eventually, Philly for Dean became Philly for Change as we realized that our mission went beyond a single election - that our mission was to transform politics as we know it, and bring our country back to its political roots.
So here I sit today, writing this blog post about changing politics as we know it. But this is the first chapter, and I want you to be able to use these posts as a guide to transforming politics in your neighborhood, city, and country. So I'll end here for the day.
Right now: its time to go ring door-bells in my neighborhood!
Anne Dicker
Democratic Candidate
PA State House District 175
http://www.AnneDicker.com
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