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I'm asking people to vote for me because I'm an activist leader and a problem solver.
Ayanna Pressley
An increase in bicycle ridership brings an increased need for measures to ensure the safety of cyclists.
I'm an only child, so I don't come from a big family. But it has been my observation from friends who do come from big families that usually, when you have a family fight, on the back end you come out better and stronger for it.
I would not invest in a Trump hate wall. We don't need to be protected from immigrants that are coming here seeking asylum and refuge.
My life as an advocate for those most in need is inspired by my mother's example. She believed in the potential inherent in each of us, and that belief is the foundation of my work.
True enough, Trump is a formidable foe, and systemic inequalities and disparities are worsening under this administration. But they existed long before that. And I want to lead, organize, and legislate to disrupt these disparate outcomes.
We need a permanent solution to TPS recipients and develop a path to citizenship. And, more fundamentally, we need to ensure that our immigration policies treat those coming to this country with the dignity and compassion that should be afforded to all human beings and immediately stop tearing families apart.
I don't put too much stock in polls.
Because boys tend to dominate the narrative for who's at risk, sometimes they dominate the lion's share of services, too.
Let me be abundantly clear: I am black, and I am a woman, and I embrace both of those facts.
I am probably an outsider because I challenge conventional narratives about who should have a seat at the table.
I am black and a woman and unapologetically proud to be both. But I've never asked anyone to vote for me because I'm black and a woman.
People entrust me with the responsibility of actualizing our shared values and, that said, I'm not in the business of going to try to convert people and getting their buy-in. I just do the work.
You cannot have a government for and by the people if it is not represented by all of the people.
If the power was equitable, then our boards, then our commissions, our contracting, our wealth-building opportunities would all look very different.
There's many law changes, policy changes I can point to. But a lot of my work has also been to name the issue that no one else named - to spotlight it, to advocate for it. That's where all advocacy begins. I've asked different questions. I've raised different issues.
At some point or another, everyone has felt unseen and unheard and marginalized.
I have been really furious about the constant charges being lobbed against me about identity politics that, by the way, are only lobbed against women and candidates of color.
We must acknowledge that issues like systemic racism, economic inequality, and the achievement gap are the result of manmade policies.
I used to turn in, like, 20 money orders to pay my rent - $20 for this one, $30 for this one. I didn't have a checking account.
Making progress on longstanding challenges requires a different lens and a new approach.
Plans without price tags are simply pandering.
I don't think people that make history set out to make it.
Since being elected to the City Council, I have been unwavering in my commitment to address issues uniquely impacting women and girls and advance policies that stabilize and strengthen our communities.
Our schools should be rewarding for all students.
I never thought I had the monopoly on struggle or suffering.
I knew I would be demonized as entitled and what no woman can ever be: ambitious.
My mother informed me that the way to be a change agent to create change, the first line of defense, or however you want to phrase that, is politics and government.
If elected, I will work with federal leaders to rehouse the non-immigration enforcement functions of ICE - including human trafficking and money laundering investigations - elsewhere in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security while immediately eliminating funding for enforcement and removal functions.
There's something to be said for perseverance.
When I was growing up, 'Ebony Magazine' was a must read in our household. In those pages I found our news, our stories, and my pride.
Public service and community organizing and movement building is such a part of my DNA that it's really hard to separate it.
People close to me personally, politically, have expressed frustration that I'm not the political animal that they wish that I were.
We want Boston to be the safest bicycling city.
My priority will remain supporting those courageous individuals and organizations, among both Israelis and Palestinians, committed to bringing peaceful coexistence to the region.
I'm not naive. All politics is about identity, right? Neighborhood politics, cultural politics, issue politics. It's not as though I don't get that. It's just - it has to be, I think, tempered in a way that is for our overall advancement and not to our detriment or obliteration. When I say 'our', I don't mean just communities of color.
Bad influences and distractions were around every corner. But I also learned that my neighborhood could be a nurturing, positive place to grow up.
We desperately need comprehensive immigration reform in this nation, and yes, comprehensive immigration reform proposals are nuanced and complicated, but you know what shouldn't be? Our capacity to see each other's humanity.
For me, whatever vantage point that I'm serving, I'm going to be an advocate and do the work to actualize my values.
In Washington, we need to pass a clean DREAM Act.
I think culture is a very challenging thing to reverse.
I think people want to live in a city that is welcoming and inclusive. I don't think people want to feel that they can only go into a place with a rainbow flag in front.
Our immigration system is fundamentally broken, and ICE's role in supporting the existing system - including separating families seeking refuge in the United States and conducting indiscriminate deportation raids in our communities - is creating an atmosphere of toxic fear and mistrust in immigrant communities.
Ultimately, we will never have a more inclusive and representative delegation - we will not change the complexion, the culture, or the representation - if we do not primary Democrats.
If you look at the Affordable Care Act, ultimately that was saved not solely by lawmakers but because of the courage of individuals and families who went to Washington, who organized, who mobilized and said 'We're not turning around.'
As I have always said, those closest to the pain should be closest to the power.
When I was ready to buy my first home after years of renting, I immediately zeroed in on Dorchester.
I'm very confident about my ability to earn votes in every neighborhood.
I understand and appreciate and respect that any time a barrier is broken or history is made, people want to celebrate it and mark it as progress.
Race is a factor in everything.