Our story begins with Founder & Executive Director Jackie Payne, an experienced leader in the field of gender equity for over twenty years. Prior to founding Galvanize USA and Galvanize Action, Jackie spent her career working to create the conditions that allow girls and women to reach their full potential. She is heavily influenced by the women in her family who are teachers, nurses, nuns, and stay-at-home moms. Jackie received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and her J.D. from the University of Michigan.
“I’ve spent my adult life working to advance gender, racial, and economic justice. In 2016, I became increasingly alarmed by the rise in authoritarianism and threat to democracy in the US. I couldn’t understand why so many women were being pulled toward strongmen leaders—and it made me worry for the future of America. But I also found the chorus of elites accusing women of ‘voting against their interests,’ to be condescending and judgmental. I know these women. I grew up in the Midwest, spending my summers in Wisconsin and going to college in Michigan. They’re my cousins—literally and figuratively speaking—and I wanted to understand what was going on with them. So I decided to dig deeper.”
Jackie spent the next two years talking and—more importantly—listening to women around the country before founding Galvanize USA in 2018. She repeatedly heard from women that they avoid talking about current events because they don’t want to start an argument, feel like they don’t have enough information to defend their position, or worry that no one else shares their point of view. This was particularly true among women living in small towns and rural communities.
Too often, many of us decide it’s easier to keep quiet to avoid arguing, or we only discuss our beliefs with people we know share our perspective. Most online discussions about politics quickly devolve into echo chambers that drown out dissenting points of view, or turn into vicious arguments in which everyone is shouting and no one is listening. The net result is an America where we are even more divided, where we have forgotten how to talk with people who have different viewpoints, and our democracy itself is at risk. So what do we do about it?
Jackie recalls, “I knew that the women I had been speaking with were the key to finding an answer, so I asked them what they thought would help. They told me that more than anything, they wanted a supportive space where they could come together with other women to make sense of what was happening in the world. A space where they could ask questions, share ideas, and learn from one another, without worrying about it turning into an argument or that someone would think they were stupid. That’s why I created Galvanize USA as a judgement-free community built by women, for women, where we can engage in real talk about the things that matter to us.”