In Little Rock, Chelsea Clinton talks about closing gap between boys, girls

Chelsea Clinton (left) signs a copy of her book, She Persisted Around the World, for Hannah Cherepski (right), 10, after Clinton spoke Sunday at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
Chelsea Clinton (left) signs a copy of her book, She Persisted Around the World, for Hannah Cherepski (right), 10, after Clinton spoke Sunday at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.

Hundreds listened as a young girl's voice came over the sound system at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock on Sunday afternoon.

The young girl directed a question to former first daughter Chelsea Clinton, and asked advice on how to write a book of her own.

Clinton, on stage to discuss her latest children's book She Persisted Around the World, was quick with an encouraging response.

"Start," she said to the young girl.

"I just make myself sit in front of my computer and I say to myself like, 'I'm not going to get up until I've written X number of words,'" Clinton said. "And they may not be very good words, but the not very good words help me get to the better words."

Men, women and children filled the seats at the convention center to hear Clinton discuss the children's book, which features the stories of 13 women from a wide array of countries who brought about change and shaped history.

The book celebrated the stories of women from a variety of fields and time periods, including Marie Curie, Malala Yousafzai and Wangari Maathai.

"One of my hopes for She Persisted and She Persisted Around the World is that it helps little girls imagine themselves as anything, and that it helps little boys imagine little girls as anything," Clinton said, garnering applause from the crowd.

Clinton also spoke about closing the "imagination gap" for girls and boys. Before starting school, she said, boys and girls have equally diverse career ambitions, whether it be an astronaut or a mayor.

But by third grade, she said, there's a big difference, where girls no longer see themselves in those leadership and award-winning roles.

"And that to me is shameful and unacceptable, because I want everyone to be able to feel ... connected and supported in their potential and in their dreams," she said.

On Sunday, Alexis Sanghera sat with her young daughter as they waited for the program to begin.

The book, she said, aligned with her principles of supporting women. And given the current political environment, she said the book offered a positive lesson on what women can do.

photo

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Hattie Solomon , 6, nervously asks a question to Chelsea Clinton on Sunday at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.

Metro on 05/21/2018

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