Welcome to our Historic Firsts series, where historic first lawmakers will tell us how their identities have informed their work in local and state politics — and why it matters to us all.
“Everything I did felt like uncharted territory for somebody like me. There weren't a lot of people that looked like me or came from my community in visible spaces. It meant that I had to figure out a balance that made sense for me as it relates to my culture, my faith, my social life, and everything in between.” —Ruwa Romman in her must-read Historic Firsts interview.
John, we’re seeing it every day — state legislatures are growing more powerful.
Critical and life-altering policies, including abortion access, trans rights, voting rights, and fair wages and conditions for working people and families are increasingly coming from often-overlooked state legislatures rather than Washington, DC.
Fortunately, we bucked historical trends in 2022 and built significant power in our states. Now is the perfect time to tell resonant, meaningful stories about the power and promise of progressive state leaders.
In partnership with Teen Vogue, our Historic Firsts series uplifts inspiring, historic firsts among recently elected state lawmakers with a focus on women, people of color, young folks, LGBTQIA+ folks, and folks from nontraditional backgrounds.
In May’s edition of Historic Firsts, Rep. Ruwa Romman — Georgia’s first Muslim woman and Palestinian American in the Georgia Statehouse and self-proclaimed “die-hard Swiftie” — talks about growing up in Georgia, her hopes for the future, and how we can build the bench of progressive candidates by investing in state legislative races.
Read the excerpt below or click here to read the full interview.
To build the pipeline of future national progressive candidates, we must focus on the state and local levels — and that starts with supporting and investing in candidates as people and putting them on a track to win elections for higher office. As Ruwa explains:
Ruwa Romann: If we're serious about creating change holistically to the point that we end up with a presidential candidate that is as progressive as we want them to be, the infrastructure needs to be there for them. That includes, by the way, the place where we can get the most bang for our buck — the state level. There have been races that I know for a fact have been won or lost by a handful of votes.
|
Read Ruwa’s interview with Teen Vogue now — and then join us in lifting up the voices of historic first lawmakers by forwarding this email to your friends and family.
Read Now »
Ruwa’s right — so many races at the state legislative level are won or lost by a handful of votes. And her quote above references our Sister District alumna Shelly Simonds, whose 2017 race came down to one vote. To build our progressive pipeline, and to put our effort where it can really make a huge difference, we have to focus on our state legislatures.
When we lift up our voices and stories together, we have the power to push for the future we all deserve and inspire voters and the next generation to get excited about states and state leaders.
That’s the core of our work at Sister District — and that’s why we’re highlighting the stories of bold, historic first legislators like Irene in Virginia and others across the country.
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for more next month!
Gaby Goldstein, Co-Founder
Sister District
|
Before you go…
Sister District’s mission is to imagine, build, and expand progressive power in state legislatures, and we know that organizing around elections is just one piece of the puzzle.
That’s why we’re amplifying the voices of local lawmakers, educating the public about the importance of state leaders and policies, and inspiring folks to deepen their civic engagement — especially locally and down-ballot.
There is power in storytelling, and the more people we bring into this fight, the more powerful our movement will become.
Can you make a monthly contribution of $20.23 to help us continue this year-round work?
Donate monthly »
|
This email was sent to [email protected].
We rely on grassroots donations from supporters like you, and most of those donations come from emails like this one. However, if you would like to change your subscription preferences, here are some options:
Receive fewer emails
Update your information
Unsubscribe
Sister District Action Network is a 501(c)(4) and is not subject to contribution limits. Contributions or gifts to Sister District Action Network are not tax deductible. Paid for by Sister District Action Network and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
|
|
Donations to Sister District Project, a 527 organization, are not tax deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
|
