Ayanna Pressley

Ayanna Pressley

Ayanna Pressley is a Boston City Councilor, who won the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District primary on September 4 2018. Ayanna Pressley's mother Sandra Pressley worked as "an advocate for tenants’ rights with the Urban League" in Chicago.

Ayanna Pressley has been endorsed by Boston Democratic Socialists of America, the Boston chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Background

"Raised in Chicago as the only child of an activist mother who instilled in her the value of civic participation, Ayanna understands the role that government should play in helping to lift up communities that are in need of the most help.

"In her eight-year tenure on the Council, she has:

• Revised and mandated enforcement of a pregnant and parenting teen policy for Boston Public Schools to strengthen pathways to graduation and to reduce the dropout rate.
• Developed a comprehensive sexual education and health curriculum that is culturally competent, medically accurate, and age appropriate, which was successfully adopted as a permanent part of the Boston Public Schools’ wellness policy.
• Convened the first listening-only hearing in the Boston City Council’s history, where 300 families impacted by homicide testified, which strengthened her resolve to continue her advocacy for trauma supports.
• Partnered with Dr. Monique Morris, Founder of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute, to convene focus groups in evidence based research to reform school disciplinary policies that contribute to the school to prison pipeline for black and latina girls.
• Successfully pushed for the creation of 75 new liquor licenses, 80 percent dedicated to disenfranchised neighborhoods, resulting in the creation of dozens of new restaurants and hundreds of jobs.

Ayanna’s legislative achievements resulted in her being the top vote-getter in three consecutive elections, making her the first woman in 30 years to achieve this distinction and the first person of color to top the ticket.

Prior to being elected to the Boston City Council, Ayanna worked as a Senior Aide for Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II and later Senator John Kerry.

In 2016, Ayanna Pressley was named one of The New York Times 14 Young Democrats to Watch. In 2015, she earned the EMILY’s List Rising Star Award and was named one of Boston Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful People. 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. She is also an Aspen-Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership, Class of 2012.

Ayanna Pressley lives in the Ashmont/Adams neighborhood of Dorchester with her husband Conan Harris, and cat Sojourner Truth.

Her own words

"Fourteen years ago, I received the unique opportunity to work for Joseph P. Kennedy II as a constituent services representative. Through my work in his office, I was able to help families like mine gain access to opportunities and services. It was a start to my career in public service that I'll forever be grateful for and has opened so many doors that I never dreamed would be available to me.

"Since then, I've worked on behalf of families throughout Massachusetts as Senator John Kerry's Political Director, served in leadership positions with groups such as the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, the Young Professionals Preventing Child Abuse, and the Children's Trust Fund. In addition, I mentor with the Young Black Women's Society and the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, and am a member of the NAACP. I also serve on the Boards of several Boston and statewide organizations, including the UMass Boston Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy, the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus and Emerge Massachusetts."

Ceasefire Now Resolution

From an article from The Intercept regarding the Hamas-empowering Ceasefire Now Resolution dated October 20, 2023 by Ryan Grim:

Washington, D.C. (October 16, 2023) — Today, Representatives Cori Bush (MO-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Andre Carson (IN-07), Summer Lee (PA-12), and Delia Ramirez (IL-03), alongside Representatives Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Chuy Garcia (IL-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Nydia Velazquez (NY-07) announced a resolution urging the Biden Administration to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine, to send humanitarian aid and assistance to Gaza, and to save as many lives as possible.

Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Maxwell Frost, and Greg Casar joined a few days later.

Guaranteed Income

Shafeka Hashash with Ayanna Pressley, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Sabrina Aviles and Jan Schakowsky

Shafeka Hashash met with with Ayanna Pressley, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Sabrina Aviles and Jan Schakowsky to "discuss guaranteed income" according to an X post from the Economic Security Project dated Dec 15, 2023.

Resolution condemning socialism

February 2, 2023 House Republicans moved a Resolution condemning socialism and certain dictators.

The Resolution began:

Whereas socialist ideology necessitates a concentration of power that has time and time again collapsed into Communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and brutal dictatorships;

Whereas socialism has repeatedly led to famine and mass murders, and the killing of over 100,000,000 people worldwide;

Whereas many of the greatest crimes in history were committed by socialist ideologues, including Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un, Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chavez, and Nicolás Maduro;

Eighty six Democrats voted no. Fourteen voted "present" and six didn't vote.

Representative Ayanna Pressley voted "Nay".

No to China committee

Sixty-five Democrats in the House of Representatives voted on Tuesday January 10, 2022, against creating a committee to investigate China and find ways to counter the communist country’s growing international influence.

The House overwhelmingly voted to create the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party on a 365 to 65 margin, in one of the first votes since the Republicans took control of the chamber.

However, even though some members did not vote, all 65 lawmakers who voted against the committee’s creation were Democrats, including Ayanna Pressley.

Korea Peace champions

Reps Barbara Lee, Ted Lieu, Ayanna Pressley, Sydney Kamlager.

Effort to Stop Development Projects

Rep. Ro Khanna, Tefere Gebre of Greenpeace, Grace Tuttle of Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights and Naadiya Hutchinson, Government Affairs Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice were listed as speakers for a "Special Town Hall" dated September 15, 2022 sponsored by Our Revolution. The meeting is to discuss strategies to stop the public from using strategic litigation to shut down development prjects. Our Revolution, Greenpeace, Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR) and WE ACT for Environmental Justice participated. In a mass email, Our Revolution linked to a letter signed by democrats to thwart development projects.

From the event invitation:

"Our Revolution, America’s largest grassroots progressive organization, is partnering with Greenpeace USA to stop a looming threat to our communities and our planet. together, we are hosting a Town Hall to mobilize our networks of millions of members and hundreds of local chapters to stop a deal negotiated between Senator Joe Manchin, The American Petroleum Institute (API), and Democratic leadership to fast track permitting of fossil fuel extraction projects, leading to potential catastrophic climate impacts.

Join frontline communities and our allies in Congress to learn what you can do to help us stop Manchin's Dirty Deal!

From a mass email sent by Our Revolution dated September 12, 2022:

"Our Revolution is leading the charge alongside frontline communities and environmental justice groups like Greenpeace to kill Joe Manchin’s side deal for more dirty oil favors.

"Manchin is willing to shut down the government for more fossil fuel projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline in WV and strip safeguards from impacted communities.

"Dems can’t celebrate “the biggest climate steps in history” while reversing them by caving to a literal coal baron.

"Our coalition of 650 organizations is urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to detach the deal from the must-pass bill to fund the government — we cannot let Manchin hold us hostage!

"Bernie railed against it on the Senate floor this week and says he’ll vote it down, and Our Revolution is calling for a progressive mutiny in Congress.

"A coalition of 72 US House Reps have signed onto a letter led by US Rep. Raul Grijalva - but we need more of our representatives in Congress to stand in opposition.

Ayanna Pressley signed the letter.

Humanitarian Needs in Cuba letter

December 16 2021 , House Rules Committee Chair James McGovern (D-MA), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Gregory Meeks (D-NY), House Appropriations subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations Chair Barbara Lee (D-CA), and House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Energy Chair Bobby Rush (D-IL) led 114 Members of Congress in a letter to President Biden asking him to prioritize the well-being of the Cuban people as they experience the worst economic and humanitarian crisis in recent history...

In the wake of this year’s protests, the members urged the administration to support the Cuban people by suspending U.S. regulations that prevent food, medicine, remittances, and other humanitarian assistance from reaching the Cuban people...

Signatories included Ayanna Pressley.

Netroots Nation 2021

EXPANDING THE SUPREME COURT TO PROTECT ABORTION RIGHTS Featured Keynote Panel; Fri, 10/08/2021 - 11:30am (Eastern)

The Supreme Court has failed to block a flagrantly unconstitutional Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, effectively overturning Roe v. Wade in the state. Later this fall, the Court will consider a case from Mississippi that could further erode the constitutional right to abortion, or end it nationwide altogether. The burdens of these decisions will fall most heavily on people of color, low income people, and other vulnerable populations. The Court’s recent actions make clear that this Supreme Court poses an imminent threat to our right to make decisions about our bodies, our lives, and our futures. In order to protect our fundamental rights, and to make progress toward a more equitable future, we must first address the conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court, which was illegitimately installed by Republican politicians through a win-at-all costs campaign. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) will kick off this program. Then, reproductive rights and justice experts will be joined by court reform advocates to discuss the need to add seats to the Supreme Court, with the goal of safeguarding the right to an abortion, restoring the Court’s legitimacy, and bringing balance back to the institution.

This session is sponsored by Demand Justice.

Led by: Tamara Brummer

Panelists: Renee Bracey Sherman, Katie O'Connor, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Kelsey Ryland, Sonja Spoo

Forum on Antiracism as Health Policy

US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and US Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) will join Boston University’s School of Public Health and Center for Antiracist Research during a three-day program beginning, Monday, April 5 2021, that will explore the role of race in shaping health in the United States.

Titled Antiracism as Health Policy: Race, COVID-19, and Policy Reform, the Public Health Conversation will feature a series of virtual panel presentations and conversations featuring Sandro Galea, SPH dean and Robert A. Knox Professor, Ibram X. Kendi, Center for Antiracist Research director and founder and Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities, and other health experts and race scholars in academia and government. Monday’s session will begin with a conversation between Galea and Kendi, followed by a panel discussion that will explore the importance of collecting and utilizing data on race to better understand the short- and long-term impacts of the pandemic.

Tuesday’s program, also cohosted by the Rockefeller Foundation–Boston University Commission on Health Determinants, Data, and Decision-Making, will feature a keynote address by Pressley and a panel discussion that will explore how to incorporate evidence-based research into policymaking. The program will conclude on April 7 with a conversation between Warren and Kendi, followed by a panel discussion that will identify antiracist policy solutions informed by data.

“We have long known that racial disparities exist in health outcomes for Black and brown communities, but the federal government has yet to tackle the main driver of these disparities,” says Warren. She, Pressley, and US Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) recently reintroduced legislation that would identify racism as a public health crisis and support the development of antiracist federal health policies.

“By naming structural racism as the root cause, we can start treating health disparities like we would any other public health crisis: by investing in research into their causes and treating the resulting ‘symptoms’ of centuries of structural racism,” Warren says.

“More comprehensively and more frequently than any other government agency, the COVID Racial Data Tracker tracked, analyzed, and illuminated state- and national-level trends in COVID racial inequities through clear and compelling data visualization in real time,” says Monica Wang, an SPH associate professor of community health sciences and Center for Antiracist Research associate director of narrative. “Data from this tracker importantly highlighted the urgency to prioritize resources, testing, and intervention and vaccination efforts for many different communities of color.”

Wang, one of the coordinators of this week’s event, says she hopes the program’s viewers and participants will gain “an understanding of the devastating extent of the racial disparities, an awareness of how and why they emerged, and a commitment to exploring new paths forward to build an equitable society.” Today’s panel discussion will be moderated by Kimberly Atkins (COM’98, LAW’98), Boston Globe senior opinion writer and member of the paper’s editorial board, and will feature Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, executive director of Children’s HealthWatch; Megan Sandel (SPH’02,’03), a School of Medicine associate professor of pediatrics; Kaye-Alese Green, a MED diversity and inclusion fellow and a visiting fellow at BU’s Institute for Health System Innovation & Policy; Stephen A. Wilson, MED’s chair of family medicine; Jayakanth Srinivasan, a Questrom School of Business research associate professor; Julia Raifman, an SPH assistant professor of health law, policy, and management; and Aviva Geiger Schwarz, data editor of the COVID Racial Data Tracker at the Center for Antiracist Research.

Defense spending cuts letter

May 19, 2020.

Dear Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry:

We write to request a reduction in defense spending during the coronavirus pandemic. As you draft this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), we encourage you to authorize a level of spending below last year’s authorized level. Congress must remain focused on responding to the coronavirus pandemic and distributing needed aid domestically. In order to do so, appropriators must have access to increased levels of non-defense spending which could be constrained by any increase to defense spending.

Initiated by Mark Pocan and Barbara Lee.

Co-signatories included Ayanna Pressley .

Muslim Left connections

MPAC interns

In 2022 Janna Ramadan was a Muslim Public Affairs Council Congressional Leadership Development Program intern in Ayanna Pressley 's office.

In 2021 Noor Shehata was a Muslim Public Affairs Council Congressional Leadership Development Program intern in Ayanna Pressley 's office.

Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children Act

April 2021—U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) introduced the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, or H.R. 2590, provides that no U.S. funds to the Israeli government may be used to support the military detention or ill-treatment of Palestinian children; the seizure, appropriation, or destruction of Palestinian property and forcible transfer of civilians in the occupied West Bank; or to facilitate further unilateral annexation of Palestinian land by the Israeli government in violation of international humanitarian law.

The bill establishes annual certification and reporting obligations on the Secretary of State to show that no U.S. funds have been used by the Israeli government to support the prohibited activities included in the legislation. The McCollum bill also requires oversight reporting detailing the Israeli government’s human rights violations against Palestinians.

Initial co-sponsors were Reps Bobby Rush, Danny Davis, Andre Carson, Marie Newman, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan, Raul Grijalva, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jesus Garcia .

Sponsoring organizations included Adalah Justice Project, Al-Haq, Americans for Peace Now (APN), American Friends Service Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC), Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Center for Constitutional Rights, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Jewish Allies for a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine, Churches for Middle East Peace, Church of the Brethren – Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, CODEPINK, Defense for Children International – Palestine, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), Democratic Socialists of America BDS and Palestine Solidarity Working Group, The Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Eyewitness Palestine, Freedom Forward, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, IfNotNow, Institute for Policy Studies – New Internationalism Project, J Street, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, Justice Democrats, MADRE, Massachusetts Peace Action, Middle East Children’s Alliance, MPower Action Fund, National Council of Churches USA, New Generation for Palestine, NGP Action, Norwegian Refugee Council, Palestine Legal, Peace Action, Presbyterian Church (USA), Progressive Democrats of America, Reformed Church in America, Sacramento Democrats for Justice in Palestine, Tree of Life Educational Fund, U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East, United Church of Christ, United Church of Christ Palestine Israel Network, United We Dream Network, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), US Palestinian Council, Veterans for Peace, Win Without War, Working Families Party.

Relief of Iran sanctions letter

According to the NIAC website, in March 2020 a team of prominent members of Congress urged their colleagues to sign a letter to the White House calling for immediate relief of sanctions to help ordinary Iranians combat the Coronavirus pandemic.

This is a critically important effort coming amid the Iranian people's hour of need. We need to make sure that Iranians have all the support they need to get medicine and respirators, food and basic goods and services to weather the pandemic. By supporting AOC's letter, we can send a powerful message to the Trump administration: now is not the time to kick the Iranian people when they are down. The U.S. must ease sanctions and send aid to help combat the spread of Coronavirus.

Take action today: urge your Representative to sign AOC's letter calling for urgent humanitarian relief for Iran.

Original signers of the letter include: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ed Markey (D-MA).

Committee to Elect Ayanna Pressley

Committee to Elect Ayanna Pressley Facebook Advertisement (screenshot)

Committee to Elect Ayanna Pressley supports the campaign of Ayanna Pressley, who won the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District primary on September 4 2018. According to the Federal Election Commission and LinkedIn, the following are executives of the Committee to Elect Ayanna Pressley:

• Treasurer: Roslyn Watson
• Assistant Treasurer: Shawnda Deane
• Deputy Finance Director: Erina Colombo
• Press Secretary: Ryan Hand
• General Consultant: Wilnelia Rivera
• Finance Director: Gina Christo

Campaign manager

Sarah Groh, Ms. Pressley's 29-year-old campaign manager. Became her incoming Chief of Staff.

Campaign staff

• Wilnelia Rivera - Campaign Manager
• Erina Colombo - Deputy Finance Director at Ayanna Pressley
• Anthony Collins - Field Organizer at Ayanna Pressley for Congress

Minority voters

Fresh off one of the biggest upsets of the primary season, campaign consultants for Boston’s Ayanna Pressley had a message Friday for other candidates: Don’t overlook minority voters.

Pressley, a former Boston city councilor, defied the predictions to defeat longtime incumbent Michael Capuano in Massachusetts’ 7th District partly because she ignored early polls saying white voters would dominate turnout at the polls, said Josiane Martinez, a Pressley campaign consultant and the founder and CEO of Archipelago Strategies Group.

Instead, Pressley’s campaign heavily targeted young people and people of color. Her only television advertisements were in Spanish on Telemundo and Univision, Spanish-only networks that cater to Latino audiences. She also ran digital ads in multiple languages and conducted get-out-the-vote campaigns targeting the district’s Spanish, Haitian, Chinese and African American communities and media outlets, Martinez said.

“Pollsters were saying that although the seventh district is minority-majority, most of the voters are white, but that remains to be seen,” Martinez said. “I really hope campaigns and pollsters change the way they think about campaigns. Communities end up being disenfranchised.”

Women's Pipeline for Change

Women's Pipeline for Change is a new initiative "designed to support progressive women of color and improve civic participation and equal representation in the political pipeline" will be launched Thursday. Boston City Councilor At-Large Ayanna Pressley will be the keynote speaker. The initiative is a project backed by The Partnership for Democracy and Education. Attendees will announce a new collaboration with UMass Boston's Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and media will be introduced to five women who will take part in fellowships under the collaboration: Gladys Lebron-Martinez, Holyoke School Committee member; Sheneal Parker, Boston public schools teacher; Martina Cruz, Lawrence School Committee member; Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong and Elizabeth Cardona, director of Gov. Deval Patrick's western Massachusetts office in Springfield. Auditor Suzanne Bump plans to deliver remarks as well.

Anti-Trump rally

On Wednesday, 6/29/16 hundreds of protesters from SEIU Local 888, sponsor of the protest, 1199SEIU, NAGE, Boston Teachers Union , Congressman Michael Capuano, Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, many union activists, fast food worker organizers, the Fight for $15 Coalition, immigration advocates, social workers, environmental groups, anti-war and anti-racist activists gathered at 10am and protested into the afternoon, chanting “Hey, hey, let’s be clear, no racists are welcome here”, and other protest chants, outside Donald Trump’s Presidential fundraiser and luncheon being held at the Langham Hotel in Boston’s financial district.

DSA

Ayanna Pressley is close to Democratic Socialists of America.

Our Revolution 2020

"Health Care Justice"

September 23 2020 with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rev. William J. Barber II, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Ady Barkan, Sarah Nelson.

Progressive Democrats of America, 2024

Progressive Democrats of America House endorsements 2024 Alma Adams, Becca Balint, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Greg Casar, Judy Chu, Debbie Dingell, Lloyd Doggett, Chuy Garcia, Raul Grijalva, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Jim McGovern, Summer Lee, Joe Neguse, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan, Ayanna Pressley, Delia Ramirez, Jamie Raskin, Jan Schakowsky, Rashida Tlaib, Mark Takano.

PDA 2020 endorsement

In 2020 Progressive Democrats of America endorsed Ayanna Pressley's congressional run.

DSA endorsement

On September 10, 2009 the Boston Democratic Socialists of America Executive Board discussed whether to make endorsement recommendations to this meeting...for Boston City Council at-large the Exec Board proposes DSA endorse first time candidates Felix Arroyo and Ayanna Pressley, along with incumbent Councilor John Connolly.

Ayanna Pressley, seeking to become the first African-American woman elected to the Council, is backed by IBEW 2222 and 2325, SEIU 1199, Carpenter’s locals 67 and 40, and Boston NOW.

Progressive Lab

June 2019, a network of Democratic activists are building a coalition to recruit like-minded candidates to run for local, state and federal office and change what they call the “broken culture” on Beacon Hill.

Progressive Lab aims to assemble a roster of progressive candidates at the local level, and they plan to target key players in the legislature, too. The activists say they are frustrated with the way some planks of the state Democratic Party platform are handled. They are pushing for more action on issues including education funding, immigration reform, abortion access and transparency in the legislative process.

“We’re very angry at the way politics are being done on Beacon HIll, and are actively recruiting and mentoring primary candidates for legislators that are within House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s inner circle,” Progressive Lab member Michael Bakshi wrote in the Progressive Lab Facebook group, according to a screenshot shared with POLITICO. The group is also advising Ihssane Leckey, a Democratic socialist who is running against Rep. Joe Kennedy III, Bakshi wrote.

Progressive Lab includes volunteers from the 2018 campaigns of Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and state Rep. Nika Elugardo, among others. Some members of the Progressive Lab group belong to the Democratic Socialists of America, and others are from Our Revolution - Massachusetts, the spinoff group from Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential run.

Common Defense endorsement

Common Defense endorsed Ayanna Pressley for Congress in 2022.

Common Defense endorsed Ayanna Pressley for Congress in 2018.

"End the Forever War"

END THE FOREVER WAR PLEDGE

The United States has been in a state of continuous, global, open-ended military conflict since 2001. Over 2.5 million troops have fought in this “Forever War” in over a dozen countries – including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Jordan, Niger, Somalia, and Thailand. I pledge to the people of the United States of America, and to our military community in particular, that I will (1) fight to reclaim Congress’s constitutional authority to conduct oversight of U.S. foreign policy and independently debate whether to authorize each new use of military force, and (2) act to bring the Forever War to a responsible and expedient conclusion.

2020 signatories of the Common Defense pledge.

Federal Elected Officials

Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Jon Tester, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, Joaquin Castro, Adriano Espaillat, Ruben Gallego, Barbara Lee, Jim McGovern, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Donald Payne, Jr., Mark Pocan, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Susan Wild.

Brian Corr connection

Brian Corr September 9, 2018:

With Ayanna Pressley, Elizabeth Warren and Jay Gonzalez in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Endorsing Pressley

Ayanna Pressley, July 13, 2018.

I hope you can join Jan Devereux, City Councillor Alanna Mallon, City Councillor Sumbul Siddiqui, Denise Simmons, Cambridge City Councillor Quinton Zondervan, and Manikka Bowman at La Fabrica tomorrow at 10:00 AM!

"Green New Deal"

From the Sunrise Movement:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has released a proposal for a Select Committee on a Green New Deal, a plan that would transform our economy and society at the scale needed to stop the climate crisis.

We have the momentum to make a Green New Deal real, but we need a critical mass of Congresspeople to support the proposal.

Take action on Dec. 10 to show Congress the Green New Deal is a top priority.

Congressional supporters by December 20 2018 included Ayanna Pressley.

From the Sunrise Movement:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has released a proposal for a Select Committee on a Green New Deal, a plan that would transform our economy and society at the scale needed to stop the climate crisis.

We have the momentum to make a Green New Deal real, but we need a critical mass of Congresspeople to support the proposal.

Take action on Dec. 10 to show Congress the Green New Deal is a top priority.

Congressional supporters by December 1 2018:

• Jared Huffman (CA-02)
• Jackie Speier (CA-14)
• Ro Khanna (CA-17)
• Mike Levin (CA-49)
• Ted Lieu (CA-33)
• John Lewis (GA-05)
• Joe Neguse (CO-02)
• Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02)
• Chellie Pingree (ME-01)
• Jamie Raskin (MD-08)
• Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)
• Rashida Tlaib (MI-13)
• Ilhan Omar (MN-05)
• Deb Haaland (NM-01)
• Carolyn Maloney (NY-12)
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14)
• Jose Serrano (NY-15)
• Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)

HR 109 endorser

By February 20 2019 endorsers of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's HR 109 (Green New Deal) included Ayanna Pressley.

Venezuela letter

According to The Mobilizer February 2019 Democratic Socialists of America is behind Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal's Venezuela letter:

DSA is organizing a congressional campaign. California Democrat Ro Khanna and Washington Democrat Pramila Jayapal are circulating a letter "rejected threats of US Military intervention in Venezuela, supporting dialogue to resolve the political crisis there, and opposing broad economic sanctions that hurt ordinary civilians." The letter urges support for a mediation process advocated by the governments of Mexico and Uruguay to promote dialogue. Contact your Congressperson, especially members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, to sign the letter.

Signatories by February 15 deadline included Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan, Raul Grijalva, Ilhan Omar, Hank Johnson, Adriano Espaillat, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Nydia Velazquez.

Medicare for All Act

In February 2019 Rep. Pramila Jayapal introduced H.R.1384 - Medicare for All Act of 2019. By May 29 she had 110 co-sponsors including Rep. Ayanna Pressley.

Dolores showing

In September 2019 Ayanna Pressley hosted a viewing of the movie "Dolores" - about Democratic Socialists of America member Dolores Huerta.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization connections

Ayanna Pressley worked closely in Boston with Freedom Road Socialist Organization/Liberation Road front groups such as the Chinese Progressive Association (Boston), City Life/Vida Urbana, Right to the City Boston and LeftRoots.

APIs CAN!

"When We Organize We Win"

"When We Organize, We Win: Celebrating Progressive Wins in the First 100 Days"

"Join the Progressive Caucus Action Fund (PCAF) for When We Organize, We Win: Celebrating Progressive Wins in the First 100 Days, a digital event celebrating some of the organizers and progressive leaders behind key policy wins from this Congress and Administration in its first 100 days. We'll hear from organizers, grassroots leaders and special guest members of Congress about what these changes mean for our families and what we're fighting for next."

• Representative Pramila Jayapal, Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Representative Grace Meng, First Vice-Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
• Representative Marie Newman, Vice Chair of Communications for the Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Representative Ayanna Pressley, MA-07
• Ai-jen Poo, Senior Advisor at Care In Action
• Maurice Moe Mitchell, Executive Director of the Working Families Party
• LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter Fund
• Danielle Atkinson, National Executive Director/Founder of Mothering Justice
• Alex Gomez, Co-Executive Director of Living United for Change in Arizona
• Nse Ufot, Chief Executive Officer of the New Georgia Project
• Rosalba Perez, Secretary-Treasurer of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 888
• Alan Barber, Policy Director of the Progressive Caucus Action Fund

"Serious costs of racist policymaking"

In 2020 Rockwood Leadership Institute alumni Heather McGhee and Rashad Robinson joined Rep. Ayanna Pressley for a discussion about the serious costs of racist policymaking and more...

Black Futures in Politics

Black to the Future Action Fund, 2020 Alicia Garza Black to the Future, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Latosha Brown Black Votes Matter, Rashad Robinson Color of Change, Angela Rye Impact Strategies, Glynda Carr Higher Heights, Derrick Johnson NAACP, Nse Ufot New Georgia Project, Michael Harriot The Root.com.

People's Charter endorser

The People's Charter was released by the Working Families Party shortly before the 2020 election.

Endorsers included Ayanna Pressley.

The People's Charter Launch

October 8 2020.

WFP PEOPLE’S CHARTER LIVE LAUNCH: We know that defeating Trump is a doorway, not a destination. Join us for the live launch of a #PeoplesCharter—a new, ambitious roadmap out of our current crisis, to an America that works for all of us. Featured speakers include Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Jesus Garcia, Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush. (via act.tv)

Moderated by Nelini Stamp and Maurice Moe Mitchell.

Right to the City

Right to the City VOTE, a new civic action project focused on building power for working class neighborhoods and communities of color, announced today that it has endorsed Martin Walsh in the 2013 Boston mayoral race.

Right to the City Vote leaders cited Marty Walsh’s commitment to stabilizing working class neighborhoods, diversifying city leadership, increasing access to jobs, and closing opportunity and achievement gaps for Boston youth. More importantly, the group pointed to his State House record of championing equality for all, workplace and unemployed rights, supporting immigrants, and leading the fight for gun control and programs that address substance abuse.

Right to the City VOTE also endorsed At-Large City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, who is running for re-election, and District 2 City Council candidate Suzanne Lee. Both candidates fully support the Right to the City platform to Remain, Reclaim, and Rebuild Boston and are proven leaders who have stood on the frontlines with communities of color to fight for voting rights, library services, access to good jobs, and stabilization of working class neighborhoods.

Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act

Over 150 people took to the streets of Roxbury on Saturday, March 17 to stand in solidarity with tenants facing eviction in the area, and to urge a state house vote on the Jim Brooks Act which would potentially curb housing displacement in Boston. Despite the rally’s large attendance and political support, the Massachusetts General Court ultimately decided to postpone the Jim Brooks Act vote by six weeks.

Led by housing advocacy group City Life/Vida Urbana, demonstrators and activists started at the Walnut Park Play Area in Roxbury, where they demanded a more ethical housing market and an end to rising rent prices. City Life/Vida Urbana and other housing advocacy groups attest that with the rising rent prices, Boston has also seen an increase in evictions in recent years, with working class and minority families baring the worst of the changes.

“I’m tired of being tired of the same thing,” said Ronel Remy, Housing Justice Organizer for City Life. “We’re cursed for not being rich… [and] we are exposing what is wrong with this system.”

The Boston Area Brigade of Activist Musicians (BABAM!) — there to lead protesters in song — played tunes such as “Down By the Riverside,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” and “This Little Light Of Mine” between tenants’ testimonies. given by distraught Xavier was one such tenant, who was relatively new to Roxbury and shocked at the conditions he and his friends found themselves in.

City Councilors Kim Janey and Ayanna Pressley also spoke at the rally, calling for an end to the detrimental housing trends and for the Massachusetts General Court to stop delaying their vote on the Jim Brooks Act.

“It’s a war on families, a war on poor people,” Councilor Janey said, before starting a chant of “Hell no, we won’t go.”

“This is everyone’s problem,” Councilor Pressley said. “[The state house] keeps saying we need more data; you are the data. We don’t need anymore data.”

While housing justice activists continue to demand a more equitable system, the fate of the Jim Brooks Act seems hard to predict for some. “It’s all a matter of logic vs. real estate money,” said Steve Meacham, a community organizer for City Life. “[The Jim Brooks Act] is a very modest proposal… real estate working groups had even said they weren’t against it. But now they’re attacking it full throttle.”

City Life/Vida Urbana October 6, 2017:

Wednesday, October 4th, 2017 - At-large City Councilor Ayanna Pressley spoke in favor of passing the Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act. — at Boston City Hall.

City Life/Vida Urbana October 4, 2017 ·

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New England United for Justice, Chinese Progressive Association (Boston), Boston Tenant Coalition, Alternatives for Community and Environment, Right to the City Boston - we won! 🔥📢🔥.

BOSTON RESILIENCE COLLABORATIVE

Resilient Boston is the result of input from more than 11,000 Bostonians. It reflects a collaborative and inclusive approach to developing solutions to address racial equity and resilience challenges. It seeks to break down typical City silos, use data to inform decision-making, and ensure that programs and policies are developed using a racial equity lens.

Steering Committee (Phase I: Establishing the Foundation)

• Felix D. Arroyo
• Magdalena Ayed
• Kalila Barnett
• Soledad Boyd
• Bithiah Carter
• Thomas Chang
• Elyse Cherry
• Michael Curry
• Rick Domini
• Sherry Dong
• Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal
• Mia Goldwasser
• Tucker Husband
• Tito Jackson
• James Jennings
• Todd Johnson
• Dan Koh
• Stacey Kokaram
• Juan Leyton
• Joyce Linehan
• Allistair Mallillin
• Chris Marchi
• Jessica Martin
• Thaddeus Miles
• Eva Millona
• Patricia Montes
• Sara Myerson
• Lisa Owens
• Ayanna Pressley
• David Queeley
• Veronica Robles
• Jim Rooney
• Richard Serino
• Renata Teodoro
• Idali Torres
• Becca Tumposky
• Monica Valdes Lupi
• Alberto Vasallo III
• Elizabeth Walker
• Darnell Williams
• Julie Wormser

LeftRoots connection

Mike Leyba is a member of LeftRoots, Boston Branch.

We replaced an establishment democrat with a progressive, socialist woman of color. The incumbent labeled himself as progressive, while actively standing in the way of fully-funded public schools and protections for immigrants in Massachusetts. Our campaign declared early that we wouldn't accept contributions from real estate developers or fossil fuel interests. We were outspent 3-to-1 in the most expensive House race in state history, and we won decisively.

Much of my contribution to the campaign was drawn from the lesson I’ve learned from the experiences–both in success and failure–of LeftRoots comrades doing similar work.

With CPA for IWD 2021

International Women's Day Celebration

Chinese Progressive Association (Boston) International Women's Day Celebration March 8, 2017 - 5:30pm

SEIU 32BJ Local 615 26 West Street Boston, MA 02111.

Celebrate International Women’s Day and the Chinese Progressive Association Workers Center’s 30 years of organizing.

Honorary Committee

• Honorary Event Chair Mayor Martin J. Walsh
• US Senator Elizabeth Warren
• Attorney General Maura Healey
• State Treasurer Deb Goldberg
• State Auditor Suzanne Bump
• State Senator Joseph Boncore
• State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz
• State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry
• State Representative Aaron Michlewitz
• State Representative Liz Malia
• City Council President Michelle Wu
• City Councilor Ayanna Pressley
• City Councilor Anissa Essaibi-George
• City Councilor Andrea Campbell

CPA 40th Anniversary Gala dinner

Chinese Progressive Association Friday, May 19, 2017 6:00 – 9:00 pm, at Hei La Moon Restaurant. 88 Beach Street in Boston Chinatown

BUY TICKETS OR MAKE A DONATION for CPA’s 40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

• Honorary Event Chair Mayor Martin J. Walsh
• US Senator Elizabeth Warren
• US Congressman Michael Capuano
• Attorney General Maura Healey
• State Treasurer Deb Goldberg
• State Auditor Suzanne Bump
• State Senator Joseph Boncore
• State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz
• State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry
• State Representative Aaron Michlewitz
• State Representative Liz Malia
• City Council President Michelle Wu
• City Councilor Ayanna Pressley
• City Councilor Anissa Essaibi-George

CPA history

Boston City Councilor at-large Ayanna Pressley has never been afraid of a tough fight.

“I’ve known Ayanna since 2009, when she first ran for Boston City Council,” said Suzanne Lee, a former principal at Chinatown’s Josiah Quincy Elementary School. “She has always been a voice to tackle the issues that people say are too hard, such as education disparities for girls of color or single mothers.”

Pressley had a birthday party on Feb. 13 2018 at La Fabrica Central in Cambridge, with more than 100 attendees. In her kickoff speech, she talked about her bid to unseat Rep. Michael Capuano of the Seventh Congressional District, which covers Boston, Cambridge, Quincy, Medford, Everett, Chelsea and Somerville.

“The people of the Seventh Congressional District are not concerned about the political inconvenience of any one man or woman, and neither am I,” Pressley said. “What concerns me is the daily uneasiness, stress and worry of many folks in this room and many more beyond.”

Pressley has faced criticism for challenging an incumbent and being overly ambitious. Lee herself challenged an incumbent, when she ran against Bill Linehan for District 2 Councilor in 2011 and 2013.

“I ran against an incumbent, and it’s not to do the same thing,” Lee said. “I know Capuano and like him. But he’s been in office almost 20 years. Whatever he wants to do, he should have gotten done by now.”

Lee is a founder of the Chinese Progressive Association (Boston), which Pressley has worked with on Chinatown initiatives, along with other civic organizations. Pressley said, “What I love about Chinatown specifically is the intergenerational activism. I especially love that so many women are leading in Chinatown.”

CPA celebrates 40 years of community advocacy

Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley spoke before presenting the Chinese Progressive Association’s Community Building Award to the Friends of the Chinatown Library on May 19 2017 at Hei La Moon.

Ayanna Pressley

The Chinese Progressive Association, a grassroots organization that rose up in the late ’70s to become a stalwart advocate for the Chinatown community, celebrated four decades of accomplishments at a food-filled gala attended by hundreds, including Boston Mayor Martin Walsh. The “Many People, One Heart” gala also included an award ceremony honoring community leaders as well as traditional dance performances by local troupes.

“Thank you for your vision; thank you for your vigilance. It is especially heartening, given this current climate of xenophobia, that we are all here this evening,” remarked Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, who later presented the CPA’s Community Building Award to the Friends of the Chinatown Library. She said, “We begin [city council meetings] with saying the pledge of allegiance, and we end with the line ‘and justice for all.’ And every time, I amend it and say ‘some day.’ The work of this organization is getting us closer to that ‘some day.’”

Wholefoods collaboration

Chinatown/South End organizations and Whole Foods released hiring results as the new Whole Foods store in the South End opened at the Ink Block development.

The Chinatown/South End Collaborative launched an effort last year to increase local and minority hiring at new retail stores in the neighborhood. Led by the Chinese Progressive Association-Boston, the effort included the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Castle Square Tenants Organization, Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion, Massachusetts Worker Education Roundtable and BEST Corp. The group worked with City Councilor Ayanna Pressley and the City’s Office of Economic Development to advocate for local hiring goals, ongoing monitoring and reporting, an early notification/First Source agreement, and a multilingual application and interview process.

In total, 108 new hires were made with 64% living in the City of Boston with 19% living in the Chinatown and South End area. The new hires are also particularly diverse with 75% of them being people of color. Asian Americans are 26% of new hires.

“What made this a bigger success story than in the past was the First Source agreement with clear monitoring and reporting points, combined with support to help people prepare and go through the application and interview process,” says Lydia Lowe, Executive Director of the Chinese Progressive Association-Boston. “And, of course, there has to be commitment from the top. This partnership with Whole Foods is an example of how an employer coming into the neighborhood can partner with community groups to open up job access for people in the community.”

Collaboration will continue beyond the opening of the store. Whole Foods, along with Roche Bros., another supermarket planning to open in February at Downtown Crossing, will partner with community organizations Chinese Progressive Association-Boston and Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center to provide a vocational English class and customer service training to Boston residents. The 14-week class will start at the end of February. People can apply at the Chinese Progressive Association-Boston.

The City of Boston played an important role in having the partnership come together and speaks to the potential city government can play in opening economic opportunities for its residents. The City of Boston, through the Neighborhood Jobs Trust, is funding the training. City Councilor Ayanna Pressley facilitated the meeting that formalized the partnership, and the group also received support from the Office of Economic Development.

Pressley campaign launch

At-large City Councilor Ayanna Pressley kicked off her campaign for the 7th Congressional District at a Cambridge restaurant Feb. 13 2018, vowing to push against the political climate in Massachusetts that favors incumbents over insurgents.

Speaking to a crowd of more than 300 at the restaurant La Fábrica Central, Pressley pledged to work on rising health costs, access to capital for small businesses, income inequality, the growing wealth gap, systemic racism and the Greater Boston area’s crisis of housing affordability.

At her kickoff event, Pressley demonstrated considerable support for her congressional bid. She was joined by District 7 City Councilor Kim Janey, At-large Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George, state Rep. Evandro Carvalho and Chelsea City Council President Damali Vidot. Other political activists from Boston and Cambridge included gubernatorial candidate Bob Massie, political activist Suzanne Lee, former state Rep. Gloria Fox and longtime Caribbean Carnival Association of Boston President Shirley Shillingford.

Veteran campaign strategist Wilnelia Rivera, who is serving as the Pressley campaign general manager, says her effort will focus on one-on-one contact with voters in the district.

“We’re excited to build a grassroots movement to talk to voters across this district,” she said.

Janey, who says she will volunteer on Pressley’s campaign, said she expects Pressley to have broad support throughout the district.

CAP PAC endorsement

August 8 2018 — Chinese Progressive Political Action (CPPA) today endorsed Ayanna Pressley for Congress. Founded in 2011, CPPA has advocated for inclusive and progressive policies aimed at reducing inequality affecting residents in Chinatown, the South End, and many other neighborhoods across Boston and beyond.

“As City Councilor, Ayanna Pressley has been a champion of issues affecting communities of color, immigrants, working families, women, and those who are marginalized,” said CPPA chair Tom Louie. “She’s a proven leader representing the voices of the less powerful and less connected. Ayanna Pressley is not afraid of challenging the status quo, pushing for a bold progressive agenda for equity, social and economic justice. As immigration policies of fear, displacements, and separations prevail, we need a leader in Washington who assertively fights for long-term solutions. Ayanna Pressley is that leader.”

“I am humbled to have earned the support of CPPA,” said Pressley. “CPPA and their members have been on the frontlines of many of the most important movements and policy decisions since their founding in 2011, and I’m proud to have partnered with them throughout my time on the Boston City Council. Their members and many others across the 7th district are faced with fear of displacement, uncertainty due to the cruel immigration policies of this administration, and many other issues”.

CPPA’s endorsement marks another grassroots political organizations’ support for Ayanna, following this week’s endorsement from Progressive Massachusetts. This endorsement follows announcements from Democracy for America, Indivisible, Higher Heights, and Justice Democrats. These organizations are joined in supporting Ayanna by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103, UNITE Here Local 26, SEIU 32BJ, along with numerous elected officials from Boston, Chelsea, and Cambridge.

CPA support congressional campaign

September 5, 2018.

"Pioneer for Justice Award"

Chinese Progressive Association (Boston) March 17 2019:

It's not too late to reserve a ticket to our CPA Year of the Pig Banquet coming up on this Friday evening, March 22 at Empire Garden Restaurant!

This year we will be presenting a Pioneer for Justice Award to Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and a "Bring Your Own Chair" Award to the Women Leaders of the Massachusetts chapter of Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA).

Join us as we honor the awardees and celebrate our past year's accomplishments!

Congratulating CPA

CPA's Suzanne Lee with Boston City Councilors Ayanna Pressley and Felix Arroyo.

"Black Women in Defense of Ilhan Omar"

Activist Angela Davis and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) joined numerous other black women activists and members of Congress in a rally Tuesday April 30 2019 rally to support Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).

Davis and Barbara Ransby, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and adviser to the Movement for Black Lives, told Democracy Now they planned the event, called Black Women in Defense of Ilhan Omar, in response to escalating attacks against the freshman Democrat, who said death threats against her spiked after conservatives accused her of minimizing the 9/11 attacks and President Trump tweeted a video interspersing her words with images from the attacks.

Trump, Davis said, “uses this bizarre logic of fungibility, where one Muslim represents the worst—or all Muslims, rather, represent the worst deeds that any Muslim has ever conducted,” a logical process she said was “at the heart of racism.”

“Trump has been vitriolic toward so many groups, but I think there’s a particular venom when it comes to black women,” Ransby added, citing both his attacks on Omar and his frequent taunts of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and his 2017 feud with Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), who accused him of making a Gold Star widow cry by telling her that her late husband, Sgt. La David Johnson, “knew what he signed up for.”

“I am changing the things I can no longer accept, and from R. Kelly to Donald Trump, what we can no longer accept is the silencing of black women,” Pressley, who, like Omar, was elected to Congress in 2018, said at the event. “We are reclaiming our rightful place.”

Omar and Pressley’s fellow freshman lawmaker Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) also attended the event. Tlaib and Omar are the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.

Green New Deal forum

"The ecological and economic justice challenges of our time require all of us to work for an equitable, healthy and livable planet for all. Responding to our environmental crisis must be done in a way that bridges Boston’s racial divide," says the Jamaica Plain Forum website about the town hall. "A just and sustainable transition must follow the leadership of women of color who have helped move forward many critical issues in our current political environment. Women of color leading the way!"

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley will lead a Jamaica Plain Forum town hall about the Green New Deal on April 20, 2019.

Rev. Mariama White-Hammond is the associate minister for ecological justice & interim children, youth, and family pastor at the Bethel AME Church in Jamaica Plain.

#BeHEARD Act

April 9 2019, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, was joined by Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA-5), Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7), to introduce the Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination (Be HEARD) in the Workplace Act, legislation which takes critical steps to ensure businesses have more resources to prevent harassment and workers have more support when they seek accountability and justice, and sends a clear message to those who think they can get away with assault or harassment on the job: time is up.

Senator Murray announced the introduction at a news conference with survivors and advocates who shared their personal stories about workplace assault and harassment, including Adriana Cazorla, a Washington state domestic worker and advocate with National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Maria del Carmen Ruelas, farm worker with Justice for Migrant Women Advocates who also resides in Washington state. Additionally, leaders from the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) participated and highlighted the urgent need to pass the legislation.

“No matter who you are or where you work—whether you are the only woman on the board, or a janitor, or farm worker, you should be treated fairly, respectfully, and with dignity. This should be true no matter your gender or race, your religion or sexual orientation or age—and regardless of whether you have a disability or are a veteran.” said Senator Murray. “For far too long and for far too many people in our country this hasn’t been true. So today, I’m proud to be standing up to fight for change and make clear that time is up.”

In addition to Senator Murray, the Senate bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). The House bill is being introduced by Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA-5), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7), Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-8), and Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL-26).

Wu endorsement

Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu to Endorse Ayanna Pressley for Congress, from the Pressley campaign: Former Boston City Council President and current At-Large Councilor Michelle Wu will endorse today Ayanna Pressley in her campaign to represent the 7th District in Congress at Vejigantes Restaurant in Boston. “Throughout her eight years on the Boston City Council, Ayanna has been a tireless advocate for reducing inequality in all forms,“ said Wu. “She brings people together to champion issues that have been overlooked and communities who have been underserved.“

Justice Democrats

Ayanna Pressley MA 07 was endorsed by Justice Democrats for 2018.

Collective PAC

Collective PAC backed Ayanna Pressley in 2018.

Launched in August of 2016, the Collective PAC is backing several candidates in 2018, including Ayanna Pressley MA (7)

Jessica Byrd connection

Jessica Byrd July 26, 2018:

I spent 12 hours in Boston and got enough inspiration to last the week. Ayanna's got next!

Y'all, especially y'all with votes and resources and endorsements, don't be late to the Ayanna Pressley party. She's the next people-powered challenger about to upset the status quo in MA-7. You don't want to be reposting "big win against 10 term incumbent" articles the day after now do you? All eyes on September 4th.

CPC new members

2018 Congressional Progressive Caucus new members included Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Deb Haaland, Veronica Escobar, Jesus Garcia, Joe Neguse, Andy Levin, Mike Levin.

Peace Action endorsement

Peace Action, the nation’s largest grassroots peace organization, and its affiliate Massachusetts Peace Action, endorsed Ayanna Pressley for re-election in Massachusetts’ 7th district. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary solutions to international conflicts.

“My first priority is always to reduce violence and trauma, and to affirm the dignity and humanity of survivors — that means ending endless war and pursuing peace by all possible means,” said Pressley. “It also means fundamentally altering our approach to foreign policy — investing more in foreign assistance, specifically to improve conditions for women and girls around the world, and decreasing our military budget to provide more funding for critical domestic priorities like education, healthcare, and housing. We need a foreign policy that represents the best our nation has to offer, and I will continue working with Peace Action and other advocates to advance one.”

Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action, who also directs Peace Actions PAC, said of the endorsement, “Peace Action is excited to endorse Ayanna Pressley for Congress because her commitment to peace is beyond question. She supports repealing the 2001 war authorization so we can finally put an end to endless war. She opposes what would be a dangerous and destabilizing military intervention in Venezuela. She knows we can afford real investments in our communities if we stop squandering taxpayer dollars in war after war. Our nation is safer and better off when we elect leaders like Rep. Pressley who prioritize human needs over the needs of the military industrial complex.”

“Massachusetts Peace Action is pleased to endorse Rep. Ayanna Pressley for re-election,” said Andrea Burns, Massachusetts Peace Action board member, co-chair of its legislative and political committee, and District 7 resident. “Her efforts to foster a productive, serious, and respectful dialogue — making space for multiple narratives and viewpoints — regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, has been a game-changer. Her support of the Yemen War Powers resolution, repeal of the AUMF, No War with Venezuela, and reducing the military budget by 25%, show that Congresswoman Pressley has already become a champion for peace and justice. Domestic policies such as the Healthy MOMMIES Act, support for ending cash bail and restoring voting rights of the incarcerated, among others, shows the Congresswoman prioritizes investment in the critical human needs of her district that contribute to real national security. With the trauma of violence, racism and poverty as her North Star, we believe Congresswoman Pressley will be a legislator who puts health and healing above profit and destruction both nationally and internationally.”

References

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