We can help Jennifer Riley Collins make history this year in Mississippi. She could become the first woman elected attorney general and the first African American elected statewide since Reconstruction. Those are big deals, but if you ask her, she'll tell you: "I'm not running to make history, I am running to make a difference."
"I believe the law is supposed to be a shield and not a weapon, to heal and not to hurt, to pull us together and not divide us. I am running to make a difference for ALL Mississippians," Riley Collins said. She can do that as attorney general. She's lived the kind of life that makes her uniquely qualified to do so. For one thing, she's the mother of a young black man in Mississippi. "No mother should ever have to scream, 'Please comply. Don't die,'" she told the AP in an interview. When it comes to law enforcement in her state, the civil rights lawyer and Army veteran will "lead from the front," as she learned to do in the military, "in building trust between law enforcement and community." That means training law enforcement. "Are you putting yourself in a posture where you are being received by community," she asked, "or are you showing up and treating community like they're enemy combatants?"
Her opponent, who has refused to make any public appearances or (apparently) give live interviews, responded to the AP in writing. "As attorney general, I will support our law enforcement community," she said when asked about the kind of training Riley Collins is proposing. "I believe that proper training is important for everyone and will be a priority of mine." That's informative. A better glimpse into her mindset is that she says she will bring a "conservative principles and solution-driven approach" to the job "to tackle great challenges like the opioid crisis and human trafficking." That's going out on a limb.
Mississippi has a tremendous chance to change. It needs to, after sending a woman who made "jokes" about attending a public hanging to D.C. as its senator. Mississippi can change, and Riley Collins could help that happen.
Your last-minute help can get her over the finish line. It could help feed hungry volunteers and help keep them on the phone and knocking on doors for GOTV. It could help pay for the gas to get people to the polls next Tuesday. It could help change Mississippi.
Donate now to help Jennifer Riley Collin AND Mississippi make history!