VOTE.RUN.WORK.
Power of Us will emphasize three pillars of activism - Vote, Run, Work – to foster civic engagement, support bold candidates at the federal level, and develop a diverse pipeline for those interested in electoral and issue advocacy campaigns.
AYANNA
Ayanna Pressley’s focus has always been on lifting up the voices of those in her community. Ayanna has served as a community liaison in the office of Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, a senior aide to Senator John Kerry, and a trailblazing member of the Boston City Council. Now, the first woman of color elected to represent Massachusetts in Congress, Ayanna’s work is about ensuring that those closest to the pain are closest to the power through reaching out to and taking into account marginalized communities and those ignored for too long. Ayanna remains committed to growing a diverse movement that reflects all of us, and that makes real progress for the people of the MA-7, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and beyond.
Throughout her career in public service, the issues Ayanna has prioritized have reflected a commitment to leading in partnership with the communities she represents - taking on issues of importance to those who felt voiceless and powerless in the past; legislating and advocating intentionally to tackle entrenched inequities, and ensuring that everyone has both a seat at the table of democracy and a reason to be an active participant in the role government plays in their lives.
Together with advocates and activists from all walks of life, Ayanna has successfully reformed Boston's outdated liquor licensing system, worked to ensure that economic development opportunities reached traditionally underserved neighborhoods; she has shone a bright light on the epidemic of gun violence and the impact of trauma on entire communities head-on; she fought for systemic changes to support women and girls, including to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline for girls of color. In Congress, she has co-sponsored legislation to expand workplace harassment protections for EVERY worker, elevate the voices of young people by lowering the voting age to 16, and asked hard questions of our legacy institutions about their commitment to embracing and supporting diversity.
In 2016, Ayanna was named one of The New York Times 14 Young Democrats to Watch. In 2015, she earned the EMILY’s List Rising Star Award and was named one of Boston Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful People. In 2014, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce named her as one of their Ten Outstanding Young Leaders, and the Victim Rights Law Center presented her with their Leadership Award.
Ayanna lives in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston with her husband Conan Harris, ten year old stepdaughter Cora, and cat Sojourner Truth.
POWER OF US
Ayanna's historic campaign for Congress was rooted in the belief that those closest to the pain should be closest to the power, and that our elected leaders should work every day to reach out, listen, and lift up the voices of everyone in the communities they represent.
Her campaign made no assumptions about who desires or deserves a seat at the table of democracy. Ayanna worked tirelessly to reach every resident of the 7th District and give them a reason to take a stakehold in their government. The result? Record-breaking turnout and a wave of voters who participated in a primary election for the first time, or the first time in a long time.
But this movement has never just been about delivering one woman to Washington, it has been about what we can achieve together when we are committed and engaged. It's about the Power of Us.
Now, Ayanna is redefining how elected leaders use their voice and their platform to continue building and empowering a diverse, inclusive movement for change. Power of Us PAC is the next step in that journey.
Power of Us PAC will not only support other bold leaders running for public office, but will invest in the critical grassroots infrastructure necessary to engage new voters and create a diverse pipeline of staff and activists interested in electoral and issue advocacy campaigns at the federal level.