[1]Ayanna Pressley

My Black
hair story is both personal and political.

It took just five weeks to lose all of my hair. But in the nearly four
years since then, I’ve gained a powerful community.

In late 2019, I was diagnosed with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that
attacks hair follicles. I used every tool I could to try to prevent my
impending hair loss. I wrapped my hair. I wore a bonnet. I slept with a
silk pillowcase. I feared going to sleep and waking up with more of my
hair falling out. The person I would see in the mirror did not feel like
me.

I officially went completely bald the night before I voted to impeach
Donald Trump (for the first time). I wore a wig on the House floor to cast
my vote. On a day where my job called me to stand up and lean in to this
powerful moment, I felt exposed and ashamed. As soon as I finished my
speech, I ran to the bathroom and cried for the first time since my
diagnosis, mourning the loss of my hair and a large piece of my identity
and culture.

But right there in the bathroom, after voting to impeach Donald Trump, I
made a decision: I would stop wearing a wig. I wanted to be free from this
secret.

This was a transformation that was not of my choosing, but one that I have
chosen to stand in. By choosing to show up as my full, authentic self, I
hope to provide representation in the halls of Congress to all the other
Americans living with alopecia.

[ [link removed] ]Three photos: 1) Rep. Pressley wearing a shirt that reads "I'm a bad
chick with a bald head living life". 2) A young child holding a bald
barbie doll. 3) A headshot of Rep. Pressley

I am a bald Black woman navigating the corridors of power and seated at
policy-making tables – just how I show up in the world is disruptive. It
hasn’t been easy. But my husband Conan reminds me that you don’t need to
have hair to rock a crown. And today, I have gained a beautiful new family
of people living with alopecia and traumatic hair loss.

As we wrap up September, we’re closing out Alopecia Areata Awareness
Month, but I won’t stop shining a light on the nearly 7 million people in
America who live with this autoimmune disorder.

Alopecia Areata Awareness Month is a call to action — a reminder to keep
fighting for comprehensive care, research to understand the causes,
impacts, and possible treatments of alopecia areata, and meaningful public
education to combat the stigma, discrimination, bullying, and mental
health effects we too often face.

I want everyone to be able to show up in the world as their full,
authentic, and unapologetic selves, and to do so without discrimination.
And that is why I seek to steward my platform in a way that is thoughtful
and impactful to those living with alopecia.

I will always strive to be a champion for the alopecia community. And I
will always fight for those who have not had their voices heard by
Washington, for those who have not seen themselves in positions of power,
and for those whose needs have not been met by public policy.

[ [link removed] ]You help make this work possible as a member of this team. As a
campaign, we face our next test with Saturday’s critical end-of-quarter
fundraising deadline. Can you pitch in $3 or any amount by
Saturday to help power our campaign and help make sure our campaign is as
strong as possible?

With love and gratitude,

Ayanna Pressley


 




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Paid for by the Committee to Elect Ayanna Pressley