Rosy Macias confesses to having little interest in politics but she recently found herself at what she described as the Super Bowl of politics – the State of Union Address.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Macias. “Eye opening.”
Macias attended the speech on Thursday, March 7, as the guest of U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, a Democrat representing Oregon’s 6th Congressional District.
The invitation to attend the joint session of Congress came after the two met at a recent roundtable held by the congresswoman.
Macias, a native of the Dominican Republic and a U.S Marine veteran, has lived in Salem since 1999. She has focused on veterans’ services, serving as outreach coordinator for the Salem Vet Center. She alsois on the board of the Courtney Place Veterans Housing, a 34-unit complex that will have its first tenant move in about April 1.
She said a staff person from Salinas’s office called with the invitation to fly to Washington.
“I was a little hesitant,” she said, before agreeing to go.
On the day of President Joe Biden’s address, Macias toured the Capitol and then had a private dinner with Salinas in her office.
“We learned more about each other,” she said.
Before heading for the House chamber, she met Denis McDonough, secretary of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Macias took the occasion to talk about Courtney Place.
“He asked, ‘What can the VA do to help?’” she said.
She replied that the agency in Oregon was already working with others to provide services to veterans who will live in the downtown complex.
An hour before the president’s speech, Macias was taken to the House balcony to be seated with what she termed other “first timers.”
She had to surrender her cell phone before entering so “it was a long hour” before the speech.
Macias wasn’t sure what to expect.
“I’m not really into politics,” she said. “I was pretty much a blank canvas.”
She found Biden’s speech motivating.
“He came in like he owned the floor,” she said.
Macias was especially pleased the president underscored his support of women’s rights, including the right to choose.
Salinas had her own praise for the speech in a later statement.
“As the president stated tonight, we must act together – not as partisans but as Americans – to confront the many challenges we face both at home and abroad,” Salinas said. “We must work with each other to bring down the cost of groceries, health care, housing, and education.”
Macias said she was honored to be part of the evening, but the event didn’t change her mind about politics.
“I’m not ready to run for office,” she said.
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Les Zaitz is editor and CEO of Salem Reporter. He co-founded the news organization in 2018. He has been a journalist in Oregon for nearly 50 years in both daily and community newspapers and digital news services. He is nationally recognized for his commitment to local journalism. He also is editor and publisher of the Malheur Enterprise in Vale, Oregon.
