Blanco talks diversity, making La. History

University of Louisiana at Mon­roe students got a surprise Mon­day, March 28, when former Lou­isiana Governor Kathleen Blanco addressed a standing-room only crowd on the seventh floor of the university library.

Sponsored by the ULM Diversi­ty Committee and held in honor of Women’s History Month, the eve­ning focused on women and mi­norities who helped change the landscape of politics in the state.

Blanco spoke about how be­ing a southern woman hampered her early career because she was interested more in satisfying so­ciety’s views that she should be a wife, instead of making a name for herself.

Though she had a college de­gree, much of her young adult life was spent caring for her six chil­dren. After attending a meeting of local elected officials, who all hap­pened to be men, Blanco realized she could be a voice for not only her state but also for women.

“As minorities, we build fences that hold us back, that tell us we aren’t good enough,” said Blanco, “but I realized that if I could build fences, I could also build gates.”

The gates she opened led to winning every election she was involved in, which led to her be­ing the first woman elected to the public service commission and the first female to represent La­fayette in the House of Represen­tatives.

Blanco also became the second woman lieutenant governor and the first female governor of Loui­siana.

“Because I was a woman, tests came early and often,” said Blan­co, who proceeded to cite run-ins with legislators who underesti­mated her because of gender.

Blanco said that early hardships helped prepare her for later when the state would face the devastat­ing Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

“I fought a stubborn Congress, an impossibly complicated FEMA and a disappointingly political White House, and they all under­estimated me, too.”

Ever the politician, Blanco did not waste her moment to praise the need for higher education, nor did she shy away from, at times, the stern criticism of current gov­ernor Bobby Jindal.

Jindal lost his first bid for gover­nor to Blanco before winning his current term.

“I left Governor Jindal a bal­anced budget and a $2 billion sur­plus, and you know the rest of the story.”

Blanco said of the current gov­ernor’s election that she does not wish to run again but would rath­er be a voice for someone who can challenge Jindal, specifically “a candidate who knows the value of education.”