Go
Girl!
12-year-old presses governor: ‘Sign the Bill’
by Bret
Hesla, staff writer
Politics is about passion
and persistence.
Twelve-year-old Mary Clara
Lawson, of White Bear Lake, showed a big dose of both last month.
On May 16, she was among the 200 Minnesotans gathered in the hallway
outside the governor’s office holding signs and
standing a silent vigil.
The group was pressing
the governor to sign the newly revised bill to fund Minnesota’s
Health and Human Services (HHS) Programs. The bill extends state-sponsored
health coverage to an additional 30,000 Minnesota children, and
more than 20,000 adults.
“I’m here to help my mom and help everybody else,” said
the young activist, standing in a crowd of concerned citizens and
seasoned professionals. “Mom said this is about me. Just knowing
all these people are here to help makes me feel great.” Lawson’s
mother, Patricia Waller, was also among the crowd. Waller stressed
the enormous importance of the bill, saying “Intervention works.
As a family with a single, working mom, we need these supports.”
At one point the “silent vigil” was transformed into
simply a “vigil,” with Lawson and her mother joining
the throng in chanting “Sign the bill! Sign the bill!….” The
marble hallways boomed with sound for 30 seconds, after which the
vigil returned to its former decibel level.
Carrying a sign that
still smelled of magic marker, the cheerful Lawson then added, “I have two brothers. They’re 17 and
20. We all use support services.” Lawson attends school at
Minnesota Virtual Academy. The HHS bill affects the respite funding
that the family uses, as well as services such as occupational therapy.
Asked what she would
say if she could speak directly to the governor, Lawson showed
common sense beyond her years, saying simply, “Listen
to what everybody has to say. Sign the bill.”
Apparently the governor heard. He signed the bill. ![]()
