The morning after the 2016 election, I stumbled my way through a conversation with my then six-year-old daughter. As I told her about our new president, her eyes began to well up with tears and she asked me a simple yet profound question, “Mom, does this mean we have to build a wall?”
This was the moment I realized I had to run for office. There are too many walls dividing people, to many barriers preventing people from thriving.
As a college chaplain, I’ve devoted my life to building communities where these walls and barriers were coming down, not going up! As a former city commissioner, county official, and leader in the NAACP, I have a proven commitment to breaking down the barriers that keep our hard-working families from accessing safe and affordable housing, mental health services, nutritious food, and good jobs with living wages.
As your State Representative in Iowa House District 99, Dubuque, I’ve co-founded Iowa’s first bi-cameral, bi-partisan caucus, led the charge for insulin access and mobile home protections, and most recently passed historic racial justice reform. As your state representative, I will continue to mobilize our community around the values that bring our kids a secure future – a thriving and just economy, universal healthcare, a clean environment, strong schools, and vibrant neighborhoods!
