Dear MoveOn member,
I'm Karine Jean-Pierre, MoveOn's chief public affairs officer. I'm also a political analyst on MSNBC. Maybe you've seen me on TV!
In my wallet, I carry something special that my cousin Jeannot Pierre gave to me before my first day working for President Barack Obama in the White House.
It's a photo of my extended, working-class, Haitian American immigrant family visiting Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1982, just before I turned eight. There we were, seated on the base of the railing in front of the South Lawn of the White House.
Back then, I was a timid, skinny girl with braids. I was so shy that the nuns at my Catholic school called my mother in to say that they were worried about me. "She doesn't play with other children," one said. "She just keeps to herself."
My new book, "Moving Forward," tells the story of how I found my voice. I wrote the book to show that politics can be accessible to anyone who wants to take part, no matter how or where you grew up or how young or old you might be.
My parents are immigrants from a beautiful country, Haiti, derided by Donald Trump as a "shithole."
My mom lost her mother when she was still a child and was forced to fend for herself to survive.
My parents eventually left Haiti, fleeing a dictatorship where their words were censored but their ambitions couldn't be. My mom worked as a home health care aide, my dad drove a New York City taxicab, and they scraped by, never able to take a break, just so that I could catch mine. That ethos of hard work, grit, and determination runs through my family.
In my new book, I talk about how I found my way into politics, working on four presidential campaigns, serving in the White House, and running political campaigns.
Today, I'm the chief public affairs officer for MoveOn, an MSNBC political analyst, and a lecturer at Columbia University.
My book is deeply personal. But it is also a handbook. I include practical, specific advice for how anyone can get more involved in the political process—including which journalists to follow on Twitter, what to read and watch online, and my favorite political TV shows, movies, and books.
There's still some of that shy school girl in me. Every time I see the red eye of the TV camera or have to grip the sides of a podium to steady myself at a rally, I calm my nerves by reminding myself that I speak for the millions of people who do not have a voice in our society.
People like my parents who have struggled for every single dollar and who still lost the house they had paid for.
For a long time, I was scared, scared, scared to appear on TV or speak in front of large crowds. But now I have a platform, and I'm going to use it. I'm going to say what I have to say. I speak for others, which inspires me.
I am so proud to be a voice and face of MoveOn. I hope that you'll read my story. And I hope that you'll order it from MoveOn rather than from a corporate bookseller, so your donation can help power the work we do at MoveOn.
Thanks for all you do.
–Karine Jean-Pierre
Want to support MoveOn's work without ordering a book? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it MoveOn needs your support, now more than ever. Will you stand with MoveOn?
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No purchase, payment, or contribution necessary to enter to win. Void where prohibited. Entries must be received by 11:59 a.m. on October 22, 2019. You may enter by making a donation here. Alternatively, you can enter without making a donation. One winner will receive the following prize package: two round-trip airline tickets to Washington, D.C., at a total value, including taxes, of no more than $1,500; two nights in a Washington, D.C. hotel, at a total value, including taxes, of no more than $500; two tickets to the book launch event; in-town transportation costs up to $200, to be reimbursed by MoveOn, provided receipts are submitted to [email protected] by November 30, 2019. Total prize value not to exceed $2200.00. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Promotion open to all U.S. citizens, or lawful permanent U.S. residents who are legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia and 18 or older (or of majority under applicable law). Promotion subject to Official Rules and additional restrictions on eligibility. Sponsor: MoveOn.org Political Action, 1442 Walnut Street #358, Berkeley, CA 94709.
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