FLIPPABLE: Marlene Katz for PA-HD29
When I was ten years old, I told my parents that I wanted to help people in need. Throughout my life, I have made it a point to do this and to always hold my values close.
I witnessed firsthand what it is to be an “other,” whether it’s as an immigrant, a person of a different religion or with a disability, and the effect it can have on someone.
My great-grandparents, Harry and Ida Goldfield, came to the United States on a boat from Russia in the early 1900s after being the targets of anti-Semitism in their home country. They arrived in Philadelphia not knowing the language or how they would support themselves, but Harry did what he could to support their family with little means. He was a carpenter by trade, and not being able to communicate verbally, he found work by chasing down horse-drawn carriages filled with lumber and holding out his hands and his tools to show his willingness to work.
Together Harry and Ida had six children, two of whom died in childhood from illness. Their daughter, (my grandmother) was legally blind and their son Albert, my beloved great uncle, contracted polio as a child and walked with two canes attached to arm braces. My grandmother taught me about resilience, if you can’t make it to the supermarket in a car, then learn to love to walk, and walk we did on many occasions.
My Uncle Albert, was an enigma, the family comic, with a love for world religions and culture. He hid how downtrodden he was from struggles to find work and the inability to have children with his wife, who also was disabled. Unfortunately, Albert took his own life when I was a teenager. From this experience I learned to walk in someone else’s shoes, as you don’t know what they’re going through or who they are.
When my grandparents Betty and Bill McGinley married, they were excommunicated from the family because Betty was Jewish and Bill was an Irish Catholic. Back then this was taboo. Discrimination is still happening today. I believe all people – of any race, sex, gender, religion, citizen status, sexual orientation or physical ability – deserve to be included in society.
From my father I developed a strong work ethic. As a teenager my dad lost his father, and became the caretaker of the family. Since he did not have the means or the luxury of earning a college degree he went into sales selling Fuller-brushes despite having a stammer. Over time my father overcame his speech impediment. With hard work and dedication, he lived the American dream of becoming a successful self-made businessman. Early on my father told me that it’s not what you do but how you do it, whether you drive a bus or are a surgeon, that whatever you do in life, give it 100%.
The story of my family still resonates with me today as I work towards breaking down the divides many of us witness or live in today’s world. That means they all people are treated with dignity and respect, and given access to the resources they need, like healthcare, disability protections and rights and a higher minimum wage and job opportunities. This includes sustainable economic development and investment to build a healthy economy where families are supported by living wage jobs.
I care deeply about safety for our children, and concerned about how bullying and cyber bullying are hurting our kids. I know we can do better; there are too many teenage suicides. The opioid crisis that affects teens and adults must be de-stigmatized, decriminalized and treated as disease with drug treatment and recovery programs. I know that children should not have to worry about guns entering into the schools, and that school should be a safe place for building friendships, learning, art and culture. I know our families and their children deserve clean drinking water, a healthy environment with clean soil and air.
There is much to be done and I am committed to make a difference by listening, leading and building stronger communities. Together we reach farther.
https://www.marlenekatzforpa.com/
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