Special Guests
In 2017, Vice President-Elect Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as a United States Senator for California, the second African-American woman and first South Asian-American senator in history. She serves on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on the Budget. Vice-President-Elect Harris has spent her life fighting injustice. It’s a passion that was first inspired by her mother, Shyamala, an Indian-American immigrant, activist, and breast cancer researcher.
In 2003, Vice President-Elect Harris became the District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco. Among her achievements as District Attorney, Vice President-Elect Harris started a program that gives first-time drug offenders the chance to earn a high school diploma and find employment. Having completed two terms as the District Attorney of San Francisco, Vice-President-Elect Harris was elected as the first African-American and first woman to serve as California's Attorney General. In this role, she worked tirelessly to hold corporations accountable and protect the state’s most vulnerable people.
Over the course of her nearly two terms in office, Vice President-Elect Harris won a $25-billion settlement for California homeowners hit by the foreclosure crisis, defended California’s landmark climate change law, protected the Affordable Care Act, helped win marriage equality for all Californians, and prosecuted transnational gangs that trafficked in guns, drugs, and human beings. In the United States Senate, Vice-President-Elect Harris’s mission remains unchanged: fighting for the rights of all communities in California. Since taking office, she has introduced and cosponsored legislation to raise wages for working people, reform our broken criminal justice system, make healthcare a right for all Americans, address the epidemic of substance abuse, support veterans and military families, and expand access to childcare for working parents.
U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto made history in November 2016 by becoming the first woman from Nevada and the first Latina ever elected to the United States Senate. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Senator Cortez Masto has spent her career fighting for Nevada’s working families. Senator Cortez Masto's position on five Senate Committees allows her to continue to advocate for the issues that matter most to Nevadans, as she did during her two terms as Nevada's Attorney General. She sits on the Committee on Finance; the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; the Committee on Rules and Administration; and the Committee on Indian Affairs. Senator Cortez Masto currently serves as the Ranking Member of the Economic Policy Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; and the Ranking Member of the Water and Power Subcommittee of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
In Congress, Senator Cortez Masto remains a strong advocate for women and children and is working to pass legislation to strengthen women’s healthcare. Senator Cortez Masto is working to repair our broken immigration system and protect hardworking families: she is a cosponsor of the DREAM Act and a fervent supporter of comprehensive immigration reform. The Senator has also seized on Nevada’s innovation economy and leadership in renewable energy production. Senator Cortez Masto believes that all Americans have the right to affordable, quality health care. She has been a strong advocate in the Senate for strengthening our healthcare system and for protecting Medicare and Medicaid. An avid hiker and nature lover, Senator Cortez Masto is committed to protecting our environment and public lands for future generations to enjoy. She is the cosponsor of the Clean Energy for America Act, a bill that would measurably reduce carbon pollution over the next decade through a series of incentives for clean energy and the promotion of new technologies in the private sector.
U.S. Representative Judy Chu was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2009. She represents the 27th Congressional District, which includes Pasadena and the west San Gabriel Valley of southern California. Representative Chu currently serves on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over legislation pertaining to taxes, revenues, Social Security, and Medicare. In that Committee, Representative Chu is a member of the Subcommittees on Health, giving her oversight over healthcare reform and crucial safety net programs, Worker and Family Support, and Oversight. She also serves on the House Small Business Committee, which has oversight of the Small Business Administration, and is the Chair of the Small Business Oversight Subcommittee.
Representative Chu was first elected to the Board of Education for Garvey School District in 1985. From there, she was elected to the Monterey Park City Council, where she served as Mayor three times. She then was elected to the State Assembly and then California’s elected tax board, known as the State Board of Equalization. In 2009, Representative Chu became the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress in history.
U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar, a third-generation El Pasoan, proudly represents Texas’ 16th Congressional District. She took office on January 3, 2019 as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives after making history as the first woman elected to this seat and the first of two Latinas from Texas to serve in Congress. Representative Escobar serves on the prestigious House Judiciary Committee and House Armed Services Committee. She was elected by her colleagues to serve as Co-Freshman Representative to Leadership in the 116th Congress, and in that capacity serves as a member of the House Democratic Leadership Team.
Representative Escobar holds leadership positions on both the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, as the Freshman Representative and Vice Chair, respectively. She also Vice Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus. She is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, and the Women’s Working Group on Immigration, where she serves as Co-Chair. In Congress, she has established herself as a national leading voice on immigration, including fighting the Trump administration’s inhumane and cruel policies that harm border communities. She has led legislation to address our nation’s immigration challenges in a responsible and humane manner by ensuring accountability, transparency, and oversight.
Before her election, Representative Escobar served on the governing body for El Paso County, first as a County Commissioner and then as County Judge. There, she fought back against those who used government for their own personal gain and worked with her colleagues to modernize and reform the organization. She also worked to make El Paso County a leader in expanding access to healthcare by working with the University Medical Center of El Paso to build primary care clinics and the El Paso Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital on the U.S.-Mexico Border.
U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat proudly represents New York’s Thirteenth Congressional District. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his second term in Congress where he serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the House Small Business Committee. He is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and serves in a leadership role as CHC Whip. He is also chairman of the CHC Task Force for Transportation, Infrastructure and Housing and is a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus and Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Representative Espaillat’s congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill, and the north-west Bronx.
A steadfast champion for working- and middle-class New Yorkers, Representative Espaillat is a staunch advocate of a fair living wage, immediate and effective investments in affordable housing, meaningful criminal justice reform, infrastructure improvements, expanded youth programs, and better educational opportunities. Throughout the tenure of his career in public service, Congressman Espaillat has been a vocal advocate for protecting tenants, improving schools, and making serious, smart investments in economic development, job creation, and environmental protection.
Prior to coming to Congress, he served as a New York State Senator and, prior to his tenure as a state senator, he served in the New York State Assembly. Prior to entering elected office, Representative Espaillat served as the Manhattan Court Services Coordinator for the NYC Criminal Justice Agency; Director of the Washington Heights Victims Services Community Office; and as the Director of Project Right Start.
Mayor Eric Garcetti is a fourth-generation Angeleno and the 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles. Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley — the son of public servants and the grandson and great-grandson of immigrants from Mexico and Eastern Europe — Mayor Garcetti’s life has been shaped by a deep commitment to the core values of justice, dignity, and equality for all people. Angelenos are experiencing the remarkable results of his vision and leadership: the Mayor led and won a campaign to pass the boldest local infrastructure initiative in American history, funding a once-in-a-generation expansion of public transportation. He launched the L.A. College Promise, one of the most ambitious higher education access programs in the nation — serving more than 15,000 students, many of whom are overcoming poverty and are the first in their families to pursue the dream of higher education. He is confronting a homelessness crisis by leading an unprecedented regional alliance committed to getting people off the streets and ending chronic homelessness. He put more money in workers’ pockets by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and cut business taxes to help drive a historic economic recovery that has created a record number of jobs in legacy industries like entertainment and aerospace. And in 2018, he formed a historic partnership with the philanthropic sector to refurbish nearly 350 athletic courts across the city — to support his plan for universal sports and fitness programs that are both free and local for all children in Los Angeles. The Mayor’s leadership is making an extraordinary impact on the national and international stages: he rallied more than 400 mayors in cities across America to adopt the Paris Climate agreement after the Trump Administration pulled out of the pact. He led the first National Day of Action on Immigration, and has put unprecedented local resources toward providing Dreamers and others with legal aid to fight deportation.
U.S. Representative Jesús G. “Chuy” García proudly represents the Fourth Congressional District of Illinois. Prior to his election to Congress in November of 2018, Congressman García was a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, where he opposed housing discrimination against disadvantaged communities, raised the minimum wage, and mandated that County employees have access to paid sick leave. He also passed an ordinance ending Cook County’s cooperation with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE). Congressman García began organizing for workers’ rights and more inclusive city services during his college years at University of Illinois in Chicago.
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, throughout her time in the Senate, has been a leader in some of the toughest fights in Washington. She led the effort to repeal the “Don't Ask Don't Tell” policy that banned gays from serving openly in the military; she wrote the STOCK Act, which made it illegal for members of Congress to financially benefit from inside information; and she won the long fight to provide permanent health care and compensation to the 9/11 first responders and community survivors who are sick with diseases caused by the toxins at Ground Zero.
In 2013, as chair of the Armed Services subcommittee on personnel, Senator Gillibrand held the first Senate hearing on the issue of sexual assault in the military in almost a decade, and has built a bipartisan coalition of Senators in support of her bill, the Military Justice Improvement Act, which would remove sexual assault cases from the chain of command. She has also built a broad, bipartisan coalition for the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which would finally hold colleges accountable for sexual assault on their campuses.
As the mother of two young sons, Senator Gillibrand understands the challenges that working families are facing in today’s economy. She is fighting to pass bills that would raise the minimum wage, make quality child care more affordable, create universal pre-K, and ensure equal pay for equal work. Senator Gillibrand also introduced the FAMILY Act, which would create a national paid leave program for all American workers – for about the cost of a cup of coffee a week. Senator Gillibrand was the first New York Senator to join the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years, and she uses that position to give New York’s farmers and agricultural producers a voice in Washington. She has fought for programs that would support specialty crop insurance, expand rural broadband access, and improve recovery efforts after natural disasters.
U.S. Representative Deb Haaland, representing New Mexico's first district, was elected as one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress after a lifetime of organizing communities to stand up for New Mexico families. She is serving in leadership roles as the 116th Congress Freshman Class Representative to the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, House Democratic Region VI Whip (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) and Deputy Whip for the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Representative Haaland is a 35th generation New Mexican who is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna, and also has Jemez Pueblo heritage. After running for New Mexico Lieutenant Governor in 2014, Representative Haaland became the first Native American woman to be elected to lead a State Party. She used her experience reaching out to communities who are often forgotten during the electoral process during the two Obama presidential campaigns. During her time as State Party Chair, she traveled to Standing Rock to stand side-by-side with the community to protect tribal sovereignty and advocate vital natural resources.
Representative Haaland grew up in a military family; her father was a 30-year combat Marine who was awarded the Silver Star Medal for saving six lives during Vietnam, and her mother is a Navy veteran who was a federal employee for 25 years in Indian education. She knows the sacrifices made by military families because her family moved throughout the country during her father’s military service; as a result, she attended 13 different public schools. As a single mother, she volunteered at her daughter's preschool in order to afford an early childhood education. Like many New Mexicans, she had to rely on food stamps at times as a single parent, has lived paycheck-to-paycheck, and struggled to put herself through college. Though hard work and determination, she earned degrees from the University of New Mexico and UNM Law School. Representative Haaland and her daughter, who recently graduated from the University of New Mexico, are still paying off student loans.
Judge Lina Hidalgo is the head of Harris County’s governing body. She is the first woman to be elected County Judge and only the second to be elected to the Commissioners Court. Harris County is the third largest county in our nation. Its population of more than 4.5 million rivals that of the entire state of Colorado. The Harris County Judge and four County Commissioners oversee a $4.3 billion budget that helps fund key county services and institutions. The County Judge is the presiding officer on the Commissioners Court. As the main governing body of Harris County, the Commissioners Court plays a critical role that is part administrative, part legislative, and part judicial. Its many responsibilities include adopting a budget; setting tax rates; calling for bond elections; building and maintaining county infrastructure such as roads and bridges; and overseeing county courthouses, jails, libraries, parks, and the Harris County Flood Control District. By state law, the County Judge is also the county’s director of emergency management, leading the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM). In addition to her formal duties, Judge Hidalgo plays an important advocacy role for the County. Judge Hidalgo believes that the region will remain competitive only through proactive and creative leadership on issues like flood control, transportation, criminal justice reform, and education. She is committed to ensuring that Harris County government is transparent, accessible, and accountable to every resident. She wants Harris County to be a place where everyone can attain the American Dream.
Representative Steven Horsford, representing Nevada's fourth congressional district, is a proven champion for Nevada’s working families. Representative Horsford made history as Nevada’s first African-American State Senate Majority Leader. He passed the "Clean Energy Jobs Initiative" and positioned Nevada as a leader in renewable energy. When Nevada’s economy was devastated during the recession, Representative Horsford worked across party lines to solve the worst budget crisis in state history. While representing Nevadans in the nation's capital, Representative Horsford worked to ensure veterans, seniors citizens, and all Nevadans received the benefits they deserved, authored and passed the Nevada Lands Bill to create jobs across the state, and fought to protect a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions. Representative Horsford will also fight for responsible gun control and background checks. He lost his father when he was 19 and empathizes with those who have experienced the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. He will work tirelessly to end the school to prison pipeline and provide the safety net children and families need to succeed.
Previously, for more than a decade, Representative Horsford led the Culinary Training Academy, the largest job training program in Nevada, helping thousands of workers find quality careers in the hospitality industry. Additionally, as small business owner Representative Horsford worked in partnership with Intel, Horsford worked to bring the first of its kind workforce development program for youth and young adults to North Las Vegas. He helped to launch a food recovery program with Three Square and major employers like MGM Resorts to address food insecurity among needy children, families and seniors. He brings a principled focus on job creation, community development and skills development to Congress.
U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, elected in 2016, is now serving her second term in Congress representing Washington’s 7th District, which encompasses most of Seattle and its surrounding areas. She is the first South Asian American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and one of only 14 naturalized citizens currently serving in the United States Congress. Representative Jayapal is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, where she serves as Vice Chair of the Immigration Subcommittee, and on the House Education & Labor and Budget Committees. She is also the elected Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which represents approximately 40% of the entire Democratic caucus; the Immigration Subcommittee Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific Asian Caucus; and a Vice Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus.
In Congress, Representative Jayapal has been a leader on immigration, including fighting the Trump Administration’s inhumane policies of separating children from their parents and crafting legislation to help expand legal immigration to America. She has also championed legislation to address income inequality, such as the $15 minimum wage and expanded collective bargaining rights for workers. She has worked extensively on healthcare issues as the lead sponsor of the Medicare for All bill in the House, and she is the author of the College for All Act, which would ensure every American has access to higher education. She has authored other landmark pieces of progressive legislation including the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act and the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. She has also prioritized legislation to transition our economy to 100% clean energy and address the crisis of climate justice. Prior to serving in elected office, Representative Jayapal spent twenty years working internationally and domestically in global public health and development and as an award-winning national advocate for women’s, immigrant, civil, and human rights.
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot is the 56th Mayor of Chicago. Since assuming office following her historic election, Mayor Lightfoot has undertaken an ambitious agenda of expanding opportunity and inclusive economic growth across Chicago’s neighborhoods and communities, with early accomplishments including landmark ethics and good governance reforms, worker protection legislation, and closing a record $838 million budget gap, as well as key investments in education, public safety and financial stability. Mayor Lightfoot also placed Chicago on the path to a $15 minimum wage by 2021. In response to the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, Mayor Lightfoot has led a coordinated, citywide response across government, business, and community organizations to effectively address its spread and broader public impact, including the creation of the Racial Equity Rapid Response Team, the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, among other actions. Prior to her election, Mayor Lightfoot most recently served as a senior equity partner in the Litigation and Conflict Resolution Group at Mayer Brown. Previously, she served as President of the Chicago Police Board, as well as the Chair of the Police Accountability Task Force. Mayor Lightfoot also served as Chief of Staff and General Counsel of the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications, interim First Deputy of the Chicago Department of Procurement Services, Chief Administrator of the Office of Professional Standards, and as Assistant United States Attorney.
U.S. Senator Ed Markey, elected to the Senate in a special election in June 2013, brings his experience, energy and expertise to the role. While serving for 37 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Senator Ed Markey fought for his constituents throughout his Congressional District. When he was Dean of the Massachusetts delegation in the House, he worked to harness the energy and influence of his colleagues on behalf of the entire Commonwealth.
Senator Markey has amassed an unparalleled record of energy and environmental legislative achievements. He has consistently fought to create new jobs in American clean energy and served as a leading consumer champion against rising gas prices and foreign oil, including being the principal House author of the 2007 fuel economy law and the author of the appliance efficiency act of 1987, which stopped the construction of hundreds of coal-fired plants. In 2009, Congressman Markey was the co-author of the landmark Waxman-Markey bill, the only comprehensive climate legislation ever to pass a chamber of Congress. Senator Markey was a leading voice in the investigation into the BP oil spill. He insisted that the company reveal the true size of the spill's flow rate, raised concerns about the use of toxic chemical dispersants into the environment and forced BP to make live video footage of the oil spill available to the public on the “Spillcam” website he created. In the House of Representatives, Congressman Markey served as the Ranking Member of the Natural Resources Committee. From 2007 to 2010, he served as Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. He also served on the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he was Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, and served for 20 years as Chair or Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. From 2003 to 2009 in the House of Representatives, Senator Markey also served as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee.
U.S. Representative Grace Meng is serving her fourth term in the United States House of Representatives. Representative Meng represents the Sixth Congressional District of New York encompassing the New York City borough of Queens, including west, central and northeast Queens. Representative Meng is the first and only Asian American Member of Congress from New York State and the first female Congressmember from Queens since former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro.
Representative Meng is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and its Subcommittees on State and Foreign Operations, Homeland Security, and Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. The Appropriations Committee is responsible for funding every federal agency, program, and project within the United States government. She also serves on the House Ethics Committee. Representative Meng is also a Senior Whip and Regional Whip for New York, and a founder and Co-Chair of the Kids’ Safety Caucus, the first bipartisan coalition in the House that promotes child-safety issues. She helped create and serves as a founding member and former Co-Chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus which works to mitigate excessive aircraft noise that adversely affects communities. Representative Meng has passed several pieces of legislation in law. These include laws about religious freedom, making Queens historic sites part of the National Park Service, striking “Oriental” from federal law and protecting public housing residents from insufficient heat. Also signed into law were her measures to assist veterans and members of the military, and provisions to improve consumer protections and safeguards for children. In addition, Representative Meng has fought to expand opportunities for communities of color, young people and women, and she secured resources to help local small-businesses. Prior to serving in Congress, Representative Meng was a member of the New York State Assembly. Before entering public service, she worked as a public-interest lawyer.
As Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), Bitta Mostofi has worked tirelessly to make New York City a more just and accessible place for immigrant families. At a time when anti-immigrant sentiments drive federal policy, Mostofi envisions a New York where immigrants thrive and realize their fullest potential. Mostofi's robust, strategic coordination of policy, outreach, communications, and programs have empowered communities to work alongside MOIA in advocating for equity, resources, and justice. Among her achievements in public service, Mostofi led the campaign to bring IDNYC to more than 1.3 million people. This groundbreaking initiative broadened access to government-issued identification and services, and deepened immigrant communities' sense of belonging in our city. Under Mostofi's leadership as Commissioner, MOIA has championed health care for all and collaborated with NYC Health and Hospitals on NYC Care, a major initiative to ensure that all New Yorkers—regardless of immigration status or ability to pay—can access quality, affordable healthcare in New York City. As Mostofi deepened civic engagement with immigrant communities, she directed the launch of Know Your Rights education in workplaces and communities, as well as poll-site interpretation services for limited English proficient New Yorkers and an effort to adopt poll-site interpretation services into New York City's charter.
A proud daughter of Iranian immigrants, Mostofi became passionate about community organizing and service from a young age. An early anti-war organizer and human rights advocate, Mostofi believes that the struggle for justice must center the needs and voices of our communities. Mostofi is the 2019 winner of the Arab American Association of New York's Get the Job Done Award, the recipient of the Beacon Award presented by the Ellis Island Honors Society and The American Immigrant Society, and the Public Service Award from the Iranian American Bar Association-NY Chapter.
Nevada State Assemblymember Rochelle Thuy Nguyen is the first democratic Asian American and Pacific Islander to serve in the Nevada Legislature. During the historic 80th session, Nguyen co-founded the first AAPI legislative caucus in the state of Nevada. Assemblymember Nguyen serves on the Judiciary, Health and Human Services, and Growth and Infrastructure Committees. During the interim, she serves as the Chair of the Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice, is a member of the Sentencing Commission, and is the Vice Chair of the Committee to Conduct Interim Study of Issues Related to Prerial Release of Defendants in Criminal Cases. When she is not in session, she is a criminal defense attorney. She earned her law degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. During law school, she co-founded the Public Interest Law Association.
State Representative Sam Park was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in the 2016 elections, representing Georgia's 101st district. Born and raised in Georgia, Representative Park is the grandson of refugees from the Korean War and the son of immigrants. With an opportunity to serve in leadership as a Deputy Whip for the Georgia House Democratic Caucus and as Vice-Chair of the Gwinnett State House Delegation, Representative Park has worked to increase access to healthcare by expanding Medicaid, lift up working families by enacting a state earned income tax credit, and prohibit discrimination against minority communities in employment, housing, and public accommodations. For Representative Park, the fight for affordable healthcare is personal: his mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014, and without treatment or chemotherapy, she was given four to six months to live. Thanks to public health insurance, Medicaid and Medicare, she had access to healthcare and a fighting chance; because she had access to healthcare, she was able to live out her final years without pain and in peace, and had an opportunity to see her son live out his American Dream and become the first Asian American Democrat and first openly gay man elected to the Georgia State Legislature.
Representative Park, alongside his Democratic colleagues, has fought against Republican initiatives to cut taxes for the wealthy while making massive cuts to public education. While Republicans ultimately prevailed, he stood in solidarity against allowing guns on college campuses, and taking away a woman’s right to determine her future. No matter how long or difficult the journey ahead, Representative Park stands firm in his commitment to fight for a healthier, stronger Georgia; to protect the American Dream for the next generation; and to continue the unfinished work of perfecting our nation to ensure liberty and justice for all.
U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley is an advocate, a policy-maker, an activist, and a survivor. On November 6, 2018, Representative Pressley was elected to represent Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Like many in her district, Representative Pressley has endured numerous hardships throughout her life, and it is because of those experiences that she remains a dedicated activist who’s devoted to creating robust and informed policies that speak to the intersectionality of her district’s lived experiences. Born in Cincinnati and raised in Chicago, Representative Pressley is the only child of a single mother and a father who was in and out of the criminal justice system. While her father ultimately overcame his addiction and went on to become a published author, Representative Pressley was primarily raised by her mother Sandra Pressley, a tenants’ rights organizer who instilled in her the value of civic engagement. Thanks to her mother’s dedication to activism, Representative Pressley has always been acutely aware of the role that government can play in lifting up families and communities.
Representative Pressley moved to Boston, MA in 1992 to attend Boston University, however, after a couple of years of enrollment, she withdrew from the University to help support her mother. She remained an activist in the community, working as a senior aide to Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, volunteering for Senator John Kerry’s reelection campaign, and working for Senator Kerry for 13 years in a variety of roles, including constituency director and political director. In 2009, she launched a historic at-large campaign for Boston City Council and won, becoming the first woman of color elected to the Council in its 100-year history. On the Council, Representative Pressley worked in partnership with residents, advocates, and other elected officials to combat the inequities and disparities facing the community. In 2016, Representative Pressley was named one of The New York Times 14 Young Democrats to Watch. In 2014, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce named her as one of their Ten Outstanding Young Leaders, and the Victim Rights Law Center presented her with their Leadership Award. In 2015, she earned the EMILY’s List Rising Star Award and was named one of Boston Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful People. Representative Pressley is also an Aspen-Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership, Class of 2012.
Mayor Usha Reddi has lived in Manhattan, Kansas for more than 25 years. Mayor Reddi was first elected to the Manhattan City Commission for a four-year term in 2013 and re-elected in 2017. She served as Mayor in 2016-2017 and in 2020. Mayor Reddi is an active community member, including being part of the Riley County Police Department Law Board, the Friends of McCain Board of Directors, the National Association of Mental Illness, the American Association for University Women, and the Justice Involved Youth and Adults Subcommittee, among other organizations. She taught 1st grade for over 10 years and is currently a Title 1 Math teacher. Mayor Reddi has a BA degree in Developmental Psychology from Ohio State University, a BS degree in Elementary Education and an MS in Educational Leadership from Kansas State University.
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib is currently the Congresswoman for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, which includes the city of Detroit and many surrounding communities. Representative Tlaib is a well-known progressive warrior and, in her own words, “a mother working for justice for all.” Her two young sons are at the root of her unwavering passion to help change lives for the better. She is the oldest of 14 children, born and raised in Detroit, the proud daughter of Palestinian immigrant parents. Representative Tlaib made history in 2008 by becoming the first Muslim woman to ever serve in the Michigan Legislature. She is beloved by residents for the transformative constituent services she provided, and for successfully fighting the billionaires and corporations that tried to pollute her district. When families get to know Representative Tlaib, they have no doubt that she will work tirelessly to knock down barriers for real change, and whether by policy or action, she will roll up her sleeves to make sure her residents are cared for, no matter how big the challenge.
When billionaire slumlord Matty Moroun refused to follow the law and get polluting semi-trucks off neighborhood streets, Representative Tlaib organized residents with the We Have A Right To Breathe campaign and forced Moroun to fulfill his obligations to protecting public health. When large piles of black dust started showing up on the Detroit riverfront and blowing into homes and parks, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality told residents everything was fine, Representative Tlaib collected samples and got the substance tested herself - exposing the cancer-causing “petroleum coke” as a threat, and getting it removed. As an attorney at the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice, Representative Tlaib took the movement to the courts, fighting racist emergency managers, abusive state agencies, and leading the fight for community benefits agreements that promote equitable development. Representative Tlaib knows that effective advocacy requires an all-out approach, fighting in the community, in the legislature, and in the courts every day against injustice and inequality, so that every single person in this country has a chance to thrive.
U.S. Representative Norma J. Torres represents California's 35th Congressional District in the Inland Empire which includes Bloomington, Chino, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona, and Rialto. She previously served as a State Senator, Assembly Member, and as a Mayor and Council Member in the City of Pomona. As State Senator, Torres played a significant role in making the Affordable Care Act work for California’s patients and consumers. And as a former 9-1-1 dispatcher, she drew on her expertise to author a law that modernized the 9-1-1 system—resulting in a system that now routes cell phone callers to their local police department, rather than a statewide hotline, during an emergency. Now on her third term in Congress, Torres currently serves on the powerful House Appropriations and Rules Committees. Previously, she served on the Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, and Natural Resources Committees. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Torres worked to address the root causes of migration from Central America and has fought to ensure accountability and transparency for U.S. funds spent abroad. Notably, her amendment to require the Secretary of State to send Congress a list of corrupt officials in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala was adopted in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 and signed into law. On the Homeland Security Committee, she worked to tackle the many serious national security challenges facing the nation. Torres also served on the Natural Resources Committee, where she championed initiatives that would strengthen Indian’s Country’s ability to become more self-sufficient and address the disturbing increase in murdered and missing Native American women. Her amendment to the National Landslide Preparedness Act that addresses increased risk of landslides and flooding due to wildfires passed in the House.
Mayor Sylvester Turner, elected in December 2015 and overwhelmingly re-elected in December 2019, is serving his second four-year term. He is Houston, Texas’s 62nd mayor. Since taking office, Mayor Turner has expertly managed significant challenges facing the nation’s fourth-largest city, including budget deficits, homelessness, and natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey. He is currently leading Houston’s response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Amid national unrest and calls for improving community and police relations, the mayor signed an executive order restricting the use of force and created a Task Force on Policing Reforms. Operating within the City’s fiscal constraints, Mayor Turner has passed five balanced budgets, oversaw Houston’s remarkable rebound from Hurricane Harvey, championed historic pension reform, cheered on the 2017 World Series Houston Astros, and hosted a successful Super Bowl LI. He also expanded municipal investments in renewable energy and led the winning bid to host the World Petroleum Congress in 2020.
Mayor Turner’s signature priorities include Complete Communities, an initiative designed to revitalize and improve Houston’s most under-served neighborhoods by partnering with local stakeholders to leverage resources to create a more equitable and prosperous city for all Houstonians. He also created the Hire Houston Youth program to provide jobs and internship opportunities for thousands of young people each year and forged public-private partnerships to improve neighborhood parks and expand Houston’s technology and innovation footprint. As a nationally recognized leader, Mayor Turner is a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Transportation and Communications Standing Committee, vice-chair of the National Climate Action Agenda, member of the C40 and Global Covenant for Mayors for Climate and Energy and an advisory board member of the African American Mayors Association.
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a fearless consumer advocate who has made her life's work the fight for middle class families, was re-elected to the United States Senate for a second term on November 6, 2018, by the people of Massachusetts. Senator Warren is one of the nation’s leading progressive voices, fighting for big structural change that would transform our economy and rebuild the middle class.
She has put forward many bold, ambitious plans, including to: end lobbying as we know it and make other sweeping changes to eliminate the influence of money in our federal government through the most comprehensive anti-corruption legislation since Watergate; Impose an ultra-millionaire tax on fortunes worth over $50 million to generate $2.75 trillion in revenue over ten years—enough to pay for universal child care, student debt relief, and a down payment on a Green New Deal; and address the nation’s housing crisis by building more than 3 million new homes, cutting rents nationwide by 10%, and taking the first steps towards healing the legacy of housing discrimination through historic new investments in federal housing programs.
Senator Warren has used her platform to hold some of the nation’s largest corporations and most powerful government agencies accountable for fraud, waste, and abuse. In the wake of the fake accounts scandal at Wells Fargo, her relentless public pressure led to the resignation of two Wells Fargo CEOs. Through her oversight work, she has exposed fraud and abuse perpetrated by Trump Administration officials, including at the Department of Education, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Defense, and has successfully overturned rules that harm consumers and students. Before becoming the first woman ever elected to the Senate from Massachusetts in 2012, Senator Warren served as Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)—the oversight board set up in the aftermath of the financial crisis to protect taxpayers, hold Wall Street accountable, and help homeowners get back on their feet.