Sen. Deborah A. Stabenow, D-Mich., spoke on the importance of women in politics and the challenges she has faced as Michigan’s first female senator before a full audience at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum on Friday afternoon.

Stabenow spoke as part of the series “From Harvard Square to the Oval Office: A Political Campaign Practicum”—an initiative of the Women and Public Policy Program at the Kennedy School of Government, co-sponsored by the Institute of Politics.

Stabenow focused on the issue of suffrage, praising women who fought for political and social enfranchisement over the course of the 20th century.

Listing such women as Alice Paul, Rosa Parks, Margaret Chase Smith, and Ann Richards, Stabenow called upon today’s generation to continue the advances made by women over the past century.

“After we walk through the doors others have opened, we must ensure that we keep them open for future women,” Stabenow said. “Now that we have a place at the table, we have to ensure that our voices are heard.”

Born in Michigan in 1950, Stabenow earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Michigan State University. While still in graduate school in the early 1970s, Stabenow was elected to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners, and she went on to hold various posts in state legislature. In 2000, Stabenow was elected Michigan’s first female senator.

After outlining some triumphs of women in U.S. politics, Stabenow identified economic policy, education policy, and health care policy as major areas where women must take leadership. Calling the economic policies of President Bush and his allies in Congress “a strategy for disaster,” Stabenow cited the massive loss of manufacturing jobs overseas as reason to stop “a race downward.”

She advocated more “fair” trade policies that interpret the economy in terms of “human beings,” and urged increased funding to public education to create a “level playing field” for American workers.

Stabenow pointed to “45 million uninsured citizens” and health care costs—which she said are double that of comparable nations—as national problems with far-reaching social and economic implications. Calling health care her “real passion,” she urged a reform of the nation’s health care system, aided by the increased leadership of women.

After the speech, the audience peppered Stabenow with questions not only about the role of women in politics, but on issues ranging from the Supreme Court nomination process to the role of organized labor in the 21st century.

“I really liked the idea she presented of the idea of seeing someone in power that looks like you, that you can relate to, that can help you envision yourself in a similar role,” said Hedieh Rahmanou, a first-year student at the Kennedy School after the event.

Sarah Blumenthal, another audience member, also praised Stabenow’s message, saying, “We must continue to fight...just because our mothers set precedents...we can’t sit back and assume just because our faces are there that our voices are being heard.”