Michelle Regalado Deatrick

Deatrick serves on the Washtenaw County Environmental Council, which she founded.[11] She was named Woman of the Year by the Women's Council of Washtenaw County in 2017. In 2016, Deatrick ran one of the few successful red-to-blue campaigns in Michigan, beating a three-term incumbent for a seat on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners with 53% of the vote in the mostly rural 2nd district.[12][13][14] Deatrick strongly supports small farms, renewable energy, veterans' services, and natural area preservation.[13]

While serving as County Commissioner, Deatrick led measures resulting in the County being the first in the Midwest to sign on to the County Climate Coalition.[15] She also wrote and succeeded in passing a resolution founding the County's first environmental council, with the mission of achieving net carbon neutrality for the County and pursuing environmental justice.[16] She led an initiative in support of DACA recipients and ensured that a County contract with a landfill operator accounted for inflation, potentially bringing the County hundreds of thousands in additional revenue over time.[17] In May 2017, Deatrick successfully proposed anti-poverty legislation to lower the chances of residents losing their homes or facing water and electricity shut-offs.[18] Deatrick also wrote and succeeded in passing several measures, including: a ban on purchase of Nestle brands of bottled water by County departments in July, 2018;[19] a statement of opposition to the Rover pipeline, a natural gas pipeline that traverses several townships in western Washtenaw County, passing close to a children’s camp;[20] a resolution upholding the Paris climate accord;[21] and a resolution increasing wages for county direct care mental health workers.[22]

As County Commissioner, Deatrick wrote and passed additional proclamations honoring the work of two Food Policy Council members,[23] honoring county naturalist Faye Stoner,[24] and condemning the deportation of mother and longtime community member Lourdes Salazar.[25]

Deatrick is an activist focusing on social and economic justice, women's issues, and climate change. In 2020, her invited speaking engagements include the American Climate Leadership Summit, the Democratic National Convention, several state Democratic party environmental caucuses, and panels with other environmental leaders.[26]

On September 20, 2019, Deatrick spoke in an invited forum on environmental justice and politics and taught a workshop on writing Environmental Poetry at the Washtenaw County Climate Strike, part of the Global Climate Strike that millions participated in.[27]

On March 16, 2019, Deatrick was lead organizer, as Chair of Women's March Ann Arbor, of Women March On for Justice. Over 1500 people attended. [28] [29]

On March 15, 2019, Deatrick was an invited speaker at the Washtenaw County Climate Strike on the University of Michigan Ann Arbor's Diag."Climate change is an alarm clock that's been going off, ignored by those in power, for years," she said. "This strike is a beautiful thing. We have been called the grassroots for a reason - step on us, we spring back up." [30]

In late 2018 and in 2019, Deatrick was a spokesperson for Michigan One Fair Wage.[31][32]

In October 2018, Deatrick was co-organizer of the Stand with Survivors Rally and March in Ann Arbor, a response to the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh.[33]

In January 2018, Deatrick was a lead organizer for the 2018 Ann Arbor Women's March, which brought thousands of community members to the University of Michigan Diag and joined marches and rallies around the world.[34]

In April 2017, Deatrick co-organized and spoke at the Tax March in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[35]

In January 2017, Deatrick was a lead organizer of the Women's March in Ann Arbor, Michigan as a part of the Women's March that took place all over the world. More than 11,000[36] people gathered at the University of Michigan Diag and marched through Downtown Ann Arbor.

In 2014, Deatrick was heavily involved with Michigan small farm rights, in particular advocating for full Right to Farm protection for non-commercial farms and farms in transitional agricultural areas.[37] A small-scale farmer herself, Deatrick co-founded the Michigan Small Farm Council[38] to advocate for small farming operations across the state.

Deatrick has won multiple writing awards, including both Winner and First Runner-Up in the 2012 Chautauqua Poetry Contest.[39] She teaches writing privately and for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Michigan.[40] She actively maintains a blog (Word Garden) about poetry, the environment, and the 80-acre farm and native prairie she lives on and cares for.[41] Her work has also appeared in the American Literary Review, Southern Poetry Review, and Crab Creek Review.[42][43] Previously, her fiction was featured in Best New American Voices 2006.[42][44] Deatrick has also received University of Michigan Hopwood Awards in Fiction and Poetry.[45]

In January 2015, Deatrick won an Honorable Mention in The 38th New Millennium Awards for her poetry.[46]

On August 7, 2018, Deatrick narrowly lost her primary race for the 18th district of the Michigan Senate (Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Saline, Milan, several townships) by 241 votes (less than one-half percent) in a four-way race.[47] She had announced her candidacy on September 7, 2017. As a progressive Democratic candidate, Deatrick was endorsed by Yes She Can, Vote Pro Choice, Women for Justice, UAW, Peace Corps to Politics, Political Revolution, American Federation of Teachers, The Justice Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party, Our Revolution, Lecturers' Employee Organization, Michigan for Single Payer Healthcare, AFSCME Local 3052, Over With Rover, Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors, Public Arts Commission, and Leap Forward.[48] She also received distinctions from Planned Parenthood as a candidate with a 100% favorable rating and as a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate.[48] On Deatrick's website, she stated: "I’m running for State Senator because we need a leader who believes that politics should be about people, not profit. Because we need a leader who marches with us in the picket lines—and stands up for us in Lansing. We need a leader who listens and who builds bridges. A leader who can hit the ground running and never stop." [49] Her progressive platform includes common sense gun safety measures, increased public education funding, accessible and universal single payer health care, the cleanliness of the environment for the enjoyment and health of all as a fundamental human right, road and infrastructure repair, care and rights for seniors, fulfilling commitments to veterans, getting big money out of politics, criminal justice reform, and equality and representation for women, people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community.[50] In Deatrick's announcement speech, she evoked her affection for Washtenaw County as well as her commitment to creating more good-paying jobs, protecting the environment, and fighting inequality. "Like so many others who move here for work or school, I fell in love with the area, put down deep roots, and can't imagine living anywhere else. I want to give back, to serve this community which has given so richly to my family.[7]

Deatrick holds a BA from Wesleyan University, a Master's Degree in Education Policy and Administration from Harvard, and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan.[1] She did further graduate work at Stanford University and is ABD on a PHD in Education + Political Science.

• Michelle Regalado Deatrick Official Bio, 29 January 2014
• Word Garden, by Michelle Regalado Deatrick, 29 January 2014
• Campaign Facebook Page