John,
Far too often, our governments are made up of people who don't understand the struggles of the people they represent.
Not Leonela Felix and Cherie Cruz — two WFP champions in Rhode Island recently featured on Good Morning America who were elected to their state legislature after felony convictions for drug-related charges.
Leonela and Cherie had seen firsthand exactly how unjust our criminal justice system is — how nearly impossible it is for formerly incarcerated people to secure housing, education, and jobs — and just how badly our communities need change.
They both became activists, movement leaders, fighting for the issues that affect everyday Rhode Islanders. The WFP team in Rhode Island recruited Leonela to run for state legislature in 2020, and two years later, recruited Cherie to join her in making a difference in the Rhode Island State House.
Our work finding and supporting candidates who can bring their unique experiences to government is crucial to achieving a working families agenda — and the national media is taking notice. Just last month, Good Morning America ran a segment about how Leonela and Cherie are using their backgrounds to improve our criminal justice system and our government.
And we’re not slowing down. Can you pitch in to help support our candidate recruitment and training program as we begin the 2023 election cycle — and prepare to win Working Families Majorities in state legislatures across the country?
Pitch in
Before running for office, Leonela used her personal experiences to fight for working people in Rhode Island. From immigrant rights, to increasing access to health care, to working with the Rhode Island Working Families Party to win a $15 minimum wage, Leonela understood many of the challenges that working families face.
But Leonela worried that her past would prevent her from running for office. We knew the opposite was true. Over the course of a year, WFP organizers convinced her that her record would not be disqualifying. In fact, it would be an asset to the legislature. She launched her run for State House, with the help of WFP supporters across the state.
Cherie was drawn into electoral politics by Leonela’s campaign, and became an integral part of Leonela’s volunteer team while serving as an advocate for formerly incarcerated people.
The next year, WFP organizers began talking to Cherie about running for office, too. At the same time Cherie and Leo worked together to get automatic expungement into the state’s cannabis legalization. Cherie saw what a difference it made for legislators to hear from a colleague with firsthand experience, who could really say “I’ve been there and I know.” Working with Leo, made running and serving feel both more attainable and more important. She decided to run too, and last month, two years after Leonela was sworn in, Cherie joined her in the Rhode Island State Legislature.
Working Families Party activists and supporters are fired up to recruit, train, support, and elect more leaders like Leonela Felix and Cherie Cruz, whose experiences and perspectives make our government better. If you are too, pitch in to support our organizing in this year’s elections as we work to elect progressives up and down the ballot.
Pitch in
In solidarity,
Zack Mezera
Organizing Director
Rhode Island Working Families Party
P.S. Don’t miss Leonela and Cherie’s recent feature on Good Morning America! Click here to watch.
