Today we’d like to introduce you to Miura Rempis-Locke
Hi Miura, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Miura Rempis-Locke, and I am an author, advocate, aspiring teacher, and avid reader of banned books. I was also crowned America’s Civic Miss in August of this year and am using my year of service to spread the importance of civic engagement in communities across the nation.
I fell in love with Public Policy at the age of 13 after becoming involved in an after-school program called “Youth in Government”—an overnight youth conference hosted by the Tennessee Center for Civic Engagement of the YMCA, during which students play-pretend and role play as representatives, senators, justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court, members of the press, and lobbyists. Several years as a youth delegate led me to eventually graduate and give back to the organization as a member of Volunteer Conference Staff during my undergraduate studies. My participation in the program encouraged me to pursue a degree in Political Science and History while at Middle Tennessee State University, which I completed in 2021.
During the completion of my undergraduate studies, I had more growing yet to do. At 19, I competed in my first ever scholarship pageant and loved the opportunity to talk in front of a panel of judges as well as perform on stage. I continued to compete for a local title while simultaneously becoming more involved with on-campus activities through Model United Nations, Mock Trial, and Speech & Debate. After winning my first ever pageant title championing a platform titled, “The Power of Civic Engagement: Voter Registration, Civic Education, and Democratic Participation,” I set out to explore new ways to promote civic engagement through the plethora of organizations that helped to shape me.
Thus, “Smarticle Particles and the Power of Civic Engagement” was born—a children’s book series intended to teach students civic topics including the US Constitution, the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and the Civil Rights Movement, as well as a Constitution Week workbook, which was created to use in Elementary and Middle School classrooms during civil celebrations that take place in September each year. The series has blossomed into my biggest creative project, and thanks to a collaboration with Dr. John Vile, Dean of the Paul W. Martin, Sr. Honors College of MTSU, a fourth installation is in the works featuring encyclopedic content for the upcoming semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) of American independence from British colonial rule.
After finishing my Master of Public Administration and Policy from American University, I set my sights on obtaining my Tennessee secondary education license with endorsements in History and Government, and will soon begin my work on a Doctoral program for my PhD in Public Policy and Political Theory. I currently spend my weekends in one of two ways: working on lesson plans, or traveling the nation to visit all 50 state Capitol buildings and donating a copy of one of my children’s books.
I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to build upon the work I have done and am even more enthusiastic about the young advocates I will get to help uplift through civic education in years to come.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
All things worth doing have their own struggles.
Pageantry and political advocacy are, to some people, antithetical activities. I am thankful that for the last 6 years, I have had the opportunity to change that opinion for many others! Through several different fellowship opportunities such as Civic Influencers, SheVotesInc, and IGNITE National, I have had the privilege of talking with fellow pageant-queens-turned-activists and have been fortunate to help uplift the causes they champion during their time as titleholders.
An unfortunate truth of politics is that women are expected to behave and dress one standard way. The oxymoron of it all is that when pageant queens are dressed the part in these political spaces, they are often still not taken seriously. Fighting through this antiquated social practice has been difficult, but as more and more women fight for representation in political spaces, this challenge is changing for the better.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Voter registration and civic education go hand in hand—what first started with civic education in an after school program later became years of youth voting advocacy that altered the trajectory of my academic and lifetime career. Now, I am seeking to return to the classroom as a facilitator of civic education through teaching history and government.
I knew that someday I would return to the classroom when I accepted that the most fulfilling thing I’d ever done was create the Smarticle Particles Constitution Week Workbook. In the creation of the series as a whole, I fell in love with the writing process (which is done in a rhyme-scheme couplet format similar to the works of Dr. Seuss), and it was then that I decided to create the Workbook to fill a gap in educational standards surrounding the Constitution Week celebrations that happen each September. Children are plenty capable of understanding concepts of “right v. wrong” and the golden rule of “everyone is equal”, so bridging the gap in educational instruction felt like a necessary next step that I was called to take.
Civic education can be taught at all ages, which is something I have taken very seriously in my own journey with my personal and pageant platform. Smarticle Particles was just one avenue for civic education that I created. I sought out fellowships that helped me facilitate voter registration drives. I spoke in classrooms and to different organizations about the importance of voting, and further that voting is really only the first step in the democratic process. To a lot of people, “Miura” and “voting” always follow each other in conversation.
I have chosen to do these initiatives through pageantry for several reasons, with the primary reason being that as a woman my rights and representation are severely lacking in political spaces. Where better to access and activate other women who are passionate about a given topic than in organizations where they dedicate an entire year of service to their respective platforms donned with crowns and sashes? It has been a longstanding goal to encourage pageant women in these spaces because they are already change makers with goals and connections of their own—how better to engage others in the democratic process? As America’s Civic Miss, I aim to share my story with all young girls and aspiring leaders, as well as share educational resources for civic engagement.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Smarticle Particles and Constitutional Articles was written and published during the first initial Covid-19 lockdown. I had ended my internship with the Tennessee General Assembly through the Tennessee Legislative Internship Program early due to the pandemic, and instead threw myself into this creative endeavor (in addition to declaring a second academic major area to give myself something to prioritize).
More than the things that I personally did, Covid-19 changed my, and others’, outlook on social and governmental actions for better and worse. We watched as people died from preventable illnesses, as employees were deemed “essential” without changes to their wages or equipment, as the government was precarious with its duty to protect and provide for its citizens who pay tax dollars for that very reason. Covid changed a lot of the nation and the world.
For me personally, it encouraged me to become more educated, more driven, more engaged, and more ready to actualize change. I registered voters online. I attended online conferences. Once quarantine was lifted, I registered voters on campuses wearing a mask and gloves. I helped create a civic action plan for my campus to get voters to polling locations safely, and provided PPE to those who did not have it. I volunteered on election day, and I spoke on our local news about the turnout.
Though Covid-19 was absolutely a crisis, it gave many people a reason to push forward and become more active citizens, which in my opinion is still echoed today. The 18-25 year old voting block completed nearly all of either their high school or collegiate careers while observing some aspect of Covid-19, and today those voters are more engaged than the same age group from previous election cycles. We are lucky to have survived a global pandemic and are hopeful about improving our future.
Pricing:
- Smarticle Particles & Constitutional Articles (Amazon)
- Smarticle Particles & the Vote for Women’s Suffrage (Amazon)
- Smarticle Particles & the Fight for Civil Rights (Amazon)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/miuradorable
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/miuradorable
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missmiuradorable/
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Smarticle-Particles-Constitutional-Articles-Understanding/dp/B09RH85KMP
