Danville ‘That’s What She Said’ Participant Sees Sharing Story as Chance to Advocate

 THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY

ABOVE: Marguerite Bailey, one of the speakers at this year’s edition of “That’s What She Said” in Danville; poses outside the location of the June 28th show, Danville’s Fischer Theatre.

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DANVILLE — When Marguerite Bailey was first asked to participate in That’s What She Said, she declined.

Maybe another time, she said. She wasn’t ready.

However, Bailey’s daughter, Christine, shared part of her own story a couple years ago with That’s What Teens Say, a teen mentorship program, that Bailey hopes will be brought to Vermilion County.

“I saw my daughter be able to share what a lot of girls go through in junior high. They’re awkward, they’re skinny, their legs are getting hair, their teeth might be growing where they need braces, their body is blossoming,” Bailey said about girls being self-conscious.

After seeing Christine put herself out there, Bailey said she felt she could do it too.

The 48-year-old Rantoul woman met That’s What She Said producer Jenette Jurczyk through the Junior League of Champaign-Urbana. She said she agreed to be a speaker because there are still women who feel burdened because they feel like they have to be strong.

“But we’re still carrying, if you will, the weight of a mother, a daughter, a caretaker … and we have stresses,” she said.

And during the pandemic, she saw when those socializations were gone, when there weren’t girls’ nights out and other events, how much it really affected everyone.

Bailey said what she likes about That’s What She Said is that it’s about real stories.

“These are things that made that woman stronger and can be helpful I think to that woman; whether it’s that neighbor, a younger generation or older generation, of this is how I coped, this is how I got through it,” Bailey said.

Some of these personal stories are something the women might not have felt comfortable sharing at another time. Maybe it was something they suppressed, lived with or was a burden, but they had that much strength to grow from it.

“And to be able to recognize you had that much strength or you had that much grit, or maybe you didn’t realize at the time what it prepared you for later on in a career,” Bailey said. “For me, advocacy, that word was just a big word; and now I understand that advocacy means it’s not just verbally supporting, it’s actively supporting.”

She said being an advocate can be for just about anything, such as our youth and education.

Bailey is one of eight women who will be sharing their personal stories for the second annual That’s What She Said at 7 p.m. June 28 at the Fischer Theatre in Danville. It is produced by The She Said Project. Tickets are on sale now through the Fischer Theatre.

In addition to Bailey, the other scheduled speakers are: Deborah Brunner, Terri Davis, Susan Franklin, Ashton Greer, Shannon Schroeder, Rachel Shore and Tassie Young.

According to the event organizers, “That’s What She Said is a one-night live event that raises women’s voices through the power of storytelling — an event for women, by women, where all who love and support women are welcome.”

The She Said Project is also is committed to serving the communities that host That’s What She Said events, with a percentage of ticket proceeds supporting local nonprofit organizations.

The Danville charity partner this year is the Vermilion County Child Advocacy Center.

Bailey said it was important for her to be involved. She was born in Arizona and primarily raised and graduated high school there.

Family brought her to Vermilion County in 2006, with her former spouse. They had been living in California, she had just had twins, and they relocated to Potomac.

Bailey is mom to four children, a 29- and 23-year-old, and the 18-year-old twins.

Christine, one of the twins, just graduated Armstrong Township High School and got her acceptance letter from Ironworkers Local Union 380 for their apprenticeship program.

“She wants to weld,” Bailey said. Christine’s first experience with welding was through the Scouts’ Space Jam on the old Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, and then the FFA program and green construction at Danville Area Community College.

“To see my daughter be able to later on become a peer leader, be like ‘this is who I am, embrace it’ (through That’s What Teens Say), (and) be able to mature faster than I did, I think put her in the position to be confident to go for the trades,” Bailey said.

Bailey, herself, originally had dreams of becoming a nurse and went to a trade school to become a medical assistant. She was going to take the next step to become a nurse, and then got married, had a child and decided motherhood was first.

She recently returned to school in September 2021. In April 2024, she received her associate degree through Parkland College. She’s been accepted to Eastern Illinois University and plans to finish her four-year degree in mass communications hopefully by the time she turns 50.

“I just need it. I cannot seem to go any further up the ladder, if you will,” Bailey said.

Bailey previously has worked for Vermilion County through the state’s attorney and county board offices, working as a legal secretary, office manager, and in payroll and benefits.

She then went on to the regional planning commission in Champaign County as a fiscal specialist. After a sickness, she came back to Vermilion County and the auditor’s office. She went to Champaign again for a job with Wolfram Research.

In 2021, former county board member and chairman and state Rep. Mike Marron was looking for someone to run his district office in Rantoul. She took the job and has been working with the state since September 2021.