Meet Ayanna Pressley.
She’s someone you’re probably going to be seeing and hearing quite a bit more of, in the coming weeks.
Ayanna was first elected to the Boston City Council on November 3, 2009, becoming the first woman of color ever elected to the Council. In her subsequent 2011, 2013 and 2015 reelection campaigns, Ayanna made history as the first person of color and the first woman in 30 years to top the ticket.
During her time in office, Ayanna created and chairs the City Council’s Committee on Healthy Women, Families, and Communities. The Committee is devoted to the causes that she has always been most devoted to: stabilizing families and communities, reducing and preventing violence and trauma, combating poverty, and addressing issues that disproportionately impact women and girls.
She’s a Hillary Clinton surrogate, and she’s fantastic.
Poised and articulate, she’s a past master of message discipline. Chris Hayes had her on his show on Friday and asked her about emails and about speaking fees, and she stayed focused on Hillary as a leader who wants to partner with municipal leaders like her to deal with real-world problems like the shortage of affordable housing and underperforming schools. She was at the church in Philadelphia the other night when Hillary met with the group of African American ministers.
The best part of the interview was the end. There is no transcript, so I typed it out myself:
Pressley: You know, let me just take a moment to say this, I’m a woman of faith, I’m an unapologetic progressive and liberal, and I just want to give you some insight into what I saw in that church several days ago, and it was clarifying for me, I’ve been a Clinton supporter from the beginning but it was really a defining moment for me. You know, growing up in the church, I’ve seen preachers and I’ve seen pastors. You know, preachers and pastors are both good people, they both have a role to play. Preachers, you know, they seem to speak right to you, to look right at you, they might get you to clap your hands, to shout, you know they really get you uplifted and inspired. But at the end of the day, Chris, when I’m in crisis, I’m looking for a pastor, someone that’s gonna offer a steady hand, and be a stabilizing force in the midst of a storm, and to me that’s the contrast to Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders a preacher, Hillary Clinton’s pastor, and she’s gonna lead us, she’s got a vision and a plan for this country.
Hayes: Well, Miss Pressley, that’s one of the best metaphors I’ve heard in this campaign, and the Clinton campaign should have you everywhere giving that, I’ll chew on that. Thank you for you joining us.
Watch it for yourself. Pressley is great, and she’s followed by Nina Turner, speaking for Bernie.
Anyway, I agree with Chris Hayes that the distinction that she makes, between pastor and preacher, is one that will resonate far and wide, and, I think, especially in the southern states. If you’re a Bernie supporter, you might not buy it, but that’s ok. You may not be the audience for it, just as the southern states weren’t the intended audience for Bernie’s (terrific) “America” ad (I don’t think).
I was really excited to discover Ms. Pressley, and am looking forward to seeing more of her during the campaign.