Emilia Sykes is a state legislator in Ohio and the latest recipient of our Rising Star Award. Electing women at the state and local level can make all the difference.

Donate $3 to help pro-choice Democratic women change the face of power at every level:

Hi there,

When I was elected to serve as state representative of my hometown of Akron, Ohio, I arrived at the Capitol ready to proudly serve the community that raised me and my sister. I was ready to bring the people's voices to the people's house. There was just one problem: I couldn't get in the building.

Every day for months, I was stopped by security and subjected to invasive searches while my colleagues breezed by unhindered. My credentials as a legislator in the Ohio House, my name, my colleagues vouching for me — none of it mattered to the state trooper who blocked my entrance over and over again. When I asked him why he continued to stop me, his answer was revealing. He said, "You don't look like a legislator."

I'm a Black woman under the age of 35 — the portraits in the halls of the state House didn't show anyone who looked like me.

I'm asking you to donate $3 today to EMILY's List because they help countless women have a fighting chance at serving their communities. Donate $3 today to help elect pro-choice Democratic women running for office nationwide.

This is why EMILY's List matters — because this organization knows the importance of seeing yourself reflected in your elected officials.

I know what that trooper couldn't see. I am a leader. I do look like a legislator. I look like a mayor, and a governor, and a congresswoman. I look like a president of the United States. We change the face of power by electing more women, and nobody elects more women than EMILY's List.

I am leading the most diverse Democratic caucus in Ohio's history, with a majority-women leadership team. We have passed more bipartisan legislation in our first year than the previous two general assemblies combined. This is why having women at the table matters. When women lead, we all win.

Please join me in supporting the CRITICAL work EMILY's List does in electing women up and down the ballot.

https://secure.emilyslist.org/Elect-Women-Leaders

Let's get to work,

Emilia Sykes
Ohio House Minority Leader