Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D. CA):
Black women have some of the highest rates of voter turnout, yet continue to be underrepresented in elected office.
That’s not right — we shouldn’t be thanking Black women for electing progressive leaders, we should be electing them in 2018 as those leaders.
In November, we have a chance to do just that by electing Jahana Hayes, Lucy McBath, Lauren Underwood, and Ayanna Pressley to Congress — four amazing candidates who have a real chance to win.
If you want a Congress that better represents our country, then split a contribution to elect progressive, Black women candidates running in close elections — Jahana Hayes, Lucy McBath, Lauren Underwood, and Ayanna Pressley.
Jahana Hayes was brought up by her grandmother because her own mom struggled with addiction. She became a teenage mother at age 17 and she could have given up — instead, Jahana went back to school, became a teacher, and, in 2006, President Obama awarded her the National Teacher of the Year.
Lucy McBath is a wife, businesswomen, and social justice activist. Her passion for public service was awakened by tragedy in 2012 when her son was shot and killed at a gas station. The shooter used Florida’s stand-your-ground law as his defense. He was not found guilty of murder in his first trial. Losing her son in such a senseless way has fueled her lifelong commitment to community activism and the importance of political engagement.
Lauren Underwood is a registered nurse who, at age 8, discovered that she had a heart condition, supraventricular tachycardia, which occasionally prevents her heart from maintaining a normal rhythm. As an American with a pre-existing condition and hands-on experience in our broken health care system, she, more than most, understands the real-life importance of affordable health care for working families and their children.
Ayanna Pressley is an advocate, a policy-maker, and an activist. Her election to the Boston City Council in 2009 marked the first time a woman of color was elected to the Council in its 100-year history. This laid the foundation for Ayanna’s groundbreaking work, with which she has consistently strived to improve the lives of people that have too often been left behind.
Black women have been putting in the work during elections, going door to door, organizing even when the cameras were focused elsewhere.
Now, it’s time to elect more Black women in November — so I’m asking:
Will you split a donation to the campaigns of Jahana Hayes, Lucy McBath, Lauren Underwood, and Ayanna Pressley?
Thanks and take care,
— Kamala