Women Know There's a Better Way, So Does Arik Bjorn

This election season has been anything but politics as usual. If the fact we have the first ever major-party female candidate running for president isn't proof enough, take a look down the ballot to quickly discover some unconventional and exciting change-makers. South Carolina, home to the Bonded headquarters, is also home to one of these change-makers that knows "there's a better way." Arik Bjorn, candidate for South Carolina's Second Congressional District is a single father, public servant, writer, and progressive candidate running on a platform that includes, among other things: infrastructure, healthcare, workers rights, and of particular interest to us, women's rights. Bjorn is not your typical South Carolina politician. We first met after hearing him speak on the dangers of rape culture, the 3,500 rapes reported in South Carolina each year and the need to extend funding so that we can continue the processing of countless backlogged rape kits, at Hoechella, a music festival to raise awareness and combat rape culture, slut shaming and unjust legislation that affects people's bodily autonomy.

This is a man that does not shy away from discussing the tough issues facing women in South Carolina, so when he invited us to sit down to ask him some of our most pressing questions, we gladly accepted.

Our candid conversation ran the gamut from his life as single father and care-taker for his chronically-ill mother to the underrepresentation of women in politics in South Carolina, to domestic violence, and abortion.

It was only mere minutes into our conversation when I asked about how having a daughter has impacted his views on women's issues that Bjorn proudly declared: "I had no hesitation calling myself a feminist before Kat or post Kat. If anything, my feminism has grown exceedingly so - there is a body incarnate there." He went on to describe how powerful it is to witness the bookends of womanhood through his young daughter and elderly mother that also lives with him. While his young daughter is clearly the brightness that drives his desire to show people "there's a better way" (a phrase he harkened back to often in our discussion) it was his mother's presence that seemed to leave a remarkable imprint on his policy stances. He shared how his own mother had fallen into the Medicare prescription drug "donut hole" the year prior - too embarrassed to tell anyone that she did not have her diabetes medication. A nod to his dedication to improve health care coverage and medical research in South Carolina.

It was also his mother who took center stage when -- to our surprise -- Bjorn raised the issue of abortion. "I assume there is an abortion question coming" he said, "anytime anyone asks me about abortion, I say, you have to listen to my story. I am a Roe v. Wade baby. Roe v. Wade was decided in January of '73, I was born in August 1973. My mom had cancer, reproductive organ cancer, when she was pregnant with me. She was told: abort. Abort your fetus or you will die." Bjorn continued, "my mom had a choice and made a choice. Her choice was to keep me and that was just as much a choice as not to." For Bjorn, the topic has been confused, abortion or not abortion, but his mother’s choice was just one example of what this debate should truly be about, “it’s about a woman in her given circumstances having the freedom to choose." He even recognized, that as a man he can’t possibly ever know what it would be like to make that decision.

Domestic violence was unsurprisingly a top priority for Bjorn, as South Carolina has the highest incident of deadly violence against women in the United States. His dedication to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers is one way he plans to make progress on this issue. He also stressed the impact improving education can have, calling it the “giant at large” where drug and alcohol abuse, along with ignorance and lack of education contribute to the dangers women are facing at the hands of their, most often times, male abusers.

The importance of pay equality for women was not lost on him, especially considering that in South Carolina mothers are the sole or primary breadwinners in 43 percent of households, and co-breadwinners in another 24 percent.

But as the best politicians and public servants know, it's not just about talking, being an active listener is just as, if not more, important. At the conclusion of our conversation, Bjorn invited us to stick around for a meeting of his campaign advisory board -- which was delightfully made up of a diverse group of individuals, more than half of whom were women. We were asked to speak about Bonded and our mission to encourage strong relationships between women, and asked our views on the most pressing issues for women in the state of South Carolina. We were joined that evening by two other women working to improve the lives of women in the state, Melissa Davis, a policy associate from WREN (Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network) and Alison Salisbury, the Volunteer Services Coordinator for Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands and Co-Founder of Keep Our Scene Safe.

Need help registering to vote? Have questions on where to go? Visit vote.USA.gov or for South Carolina residents, SCvotes.org

Photo credit: John A. Carlos II.