Bucking the Democratic Establishment
The Democratic Party is flailing wildly and is out of touch with too many crucial constituencies. I am proud to be a progressive Democrat, and I am proud to be the future of the Democratic Party – one that speaks truth to power, one that fights unabashedly for working and oppressed people, one inspired by the New Deal, and those that helped usher in the Civil Rights Act. Too many Democrats have become complacent with the status quo and talk in boilerplate that means nothing and doesn’t meet the moment.
We need more members of Congress and the Democratic party who - like me - grew up poor and bullied because of it, use public transit, lived in public housing versus theoretically discussing it, have been on and off Medicaid and the insurance exchanges, have received eviction warnings, watched family members suffer with the current healthcare system, been harassed for being gay, have family members inundated with predatory loan and utility bill practices, who went without heat during the winter, and who aren't bought by special interests.
When I sought the office of State Senator, the Democratic establishment told me to pound sand. But I talked about my story – the story of a Black northsider who grew up in public housing and whose parents were both small business owners, literal mom and pops, and I talked about being bullied in middle school for my sexual orientation. I talked about the experiences throughout my career working in government to help people – to address food insecurity, protect rental housing, and taking on the banks to pass an ordinance in Chicago to secure bank-owned foreclosed buildings. I talked about the people who shaped my life story, and on February 6, 2021 I became the first and only openly LGBTQIA2S+ person to serve in the Illinois Senate, and the first Ethiopian-American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly, and the first Black person to ever represent the 7th Illinois Senate district, where I grew up.
In the State Senate, I have passed 50 bills into law in less than 5 years. I am an effective legislator who knows how to champion issues, pass legislation, and include community voices in the process. I also listen to those community voices and push back on Democrats when it’s needed.
In my very first 3 months in the Illinois Senate, I fearlessly rose on the floor as a new freshman to speak passionately against a bill that was passed to install a natural gas pipeline in Pembroke Township in Illinois. This disrupted and uprooted a Black farming community that has called Pembroke home for generations, and would have endangered key plant habitats. I voted NO and stood with environmental grassroots groups in trying to stop the bill, and was one of only three Senators -- out of 59 -- to vote against the bill.
I also have challenged my own colleagues within the Democratic caucus. I was outraged and spoke out when several of my colleagues did not want to take a vote on legislation to make Illinois a sanctuary state for trans families. I called out the hypocrisy, stood with grassroots organizers in pushing for the bill to advance, and it was passed.
The bottom line: the Democratic party is primed for new faces, new energy, and a new generation of leaders who are grounded in authenticity and who have the experience – both lived experience and practical know-how – to help write the next chapter of American history. We cannot let fascist Republicans write it for us, or Democrats who fold on us, who betray our party’s values, and who insult our intelligence every election cycle. It was a betrayal – a capitulation – for Democrats to cave on the government shutdown negotiating with Republicans who used hunger as a political weapon. Now our health insurance premiums are about to skyrocket.
I’m ready to serve as Congressperson for the 9th District, and ready to push our party to do right by the people! To get up there and FIGHT the good fight for all! I’m here for it. Let’s shake it up and take back the debate in this country. I’m ready to see us winning. When other Democrats talk about issues with me, please come correct.
