#CongresswomanPressley

[progressiveparty]

Jerry Dickinson U.S. HOUSE – PA-18

Endorsed Progressive Candidate

Meet Jerry

Jerry’s pathway to politics is not typical. Separated at a young age from parents who were far too poor and too sick to care for him, Jerry came up through Allegheny County foster care system. He grew up in a multi-racial foster home and was adopted into a family with ten other foster kids, all coming from backgrounds of abandonment and neglect. For years, they struggled. Jerry and his family have faced poverty. They have been inside prison walls. They have felt the consequences of addiction. They know what eviction and homelessness feel like. Jerry knows first hand the challenges that so many families in PA-18 face.

As a Fulbright Scholar in Johannesburg, South Africa, Jerry mobilized the poorest of the poor whose slums were being gentrified by major corporations and developers. He litigated in South African courts to uphold their constitutional rights to housing and clean water. When he returned to Pittsburgh, Jerry helped establish the first community land trust in a predominantly African American neighborhood that has been affected by increased investment by corporate developers. He has been on the front lines assisting marginalized groups to preserve affordable housing and mitigate the effects of gentrification.

Today, Jerry is a constitutional law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, a human rights activist, a community advocate, a husband, and a father. As a candidate for Congress, Jerry has knocked doors and talked to voters in every corner of Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district. After 25 years of the same representation, people are ready for change. We can be transformative and aspire for greatness. Government should work for everyone -- not just a privileged few.

Priorities

Health Care

Right here in Pittsburgh, we have one of the most advanced medical centers in the world. But as the rise of costs outpaces earnings, families are left with bills they can't afford. We can do better. We need comprehensive healthcare reform to ensure that all Americans have the coverage they need. Jerry believes in fighting for universal coverage, a pathway to Medicare for All, lowering the costs of prescription drugs, paid family and sick leave, and resources for women’s reproductive care.

Climate Change

Our region has been hit hard by the negative effects of climate change. Pittsburgh has the seventh worst air quality in the country. What’s more, Pennsylvania has the most premature deaths caused by air pollution of any state. The climate crisis poses an existential threat to our planet and an immediate threat to our communities — the time for bold, ambitious action is now. Jerry supports the Green New Deal, a ban on fracking, investment in sustainable energy industries, and a transition to 100% clean and renewable energy by 2030.

Jobs and the Economy

America is experiencing its highest levels of income and wealth inequality in history. Millions of Americans are working 2-3 jobs per week at 16 hours a day just to pay the bills. Millions cannot save for retirement or their children’s college education. This is unsustainable. Jerry will fight for $15 federal minimum wage immediately and advocate for a federal jobs guarantee program. Jerry is also committed to aggressively transitioning to a smart new green manufacturing industry that will produce millions of permanent jobs. Jerry will continue to fight for expansive federal protections and benefits to unions across the United States. He is also a strong advocate for a federal guaranteed paid parental leave.

Affordable Housing

The United States is experiencing a housing crisis. Millions of Americans cannot keep up with their rent, while millions cannot save enough money to own a home. Our communities are being gentrified and displaced by aggressive corporate development. We need bold action on housing. Jerry will fight for a Grand Housing Bargain to bring millions of dollars to the region for equitable and inclusive development, while at the same time incentivizing local governments to loosen land use restrictions to generate more affordable housing. Jerry also supports a federal community land trust fund, fair housing laws that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, right to counsel legislation to guarantee legal representation for tenants facing eviction, federal programs to provide tax credits for renters and federal investment to fight homelessness.

Gun Reform

The gun violence epidemic has reached catastrophic levels. A lack of gun restrictions has caused a surge in hate crimes and mass killings affecting communities from every corner of the United States. Common sense gun laws are essential to preserve the health, safety and welfare of all Americans. Jerry will fight to enact a federal assault weapons ban and advocate for universal background checks. As a constitutional law professor, Jerry will lead the national conversation on the Second Amendment and take aggressive steps to give Congress more power to regulate gun ownership and sales. Read the full article

[progressiveparty]

Ayanna Pressley U.S. HOUSE – Massachusetts (7th Congressional District)

Endorsed Progressive Candidate

Meet Ayanna

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is an advocate, a policy-maker, an activist, and a survivor. On November 6, 2018, Congresswoman Pressley was elected to represent Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts 7th is the most diverse and most unequal district in the state, requiring a representative whose experiences are reflective of the people. Like many in her district, Congresswoman Pressley has endured numerous hardships throughout her life, and it is because of those experiences that she remains a dedicated activist who’s devoted to creating robust and informed policies that speak to the intersectionality of her district’s lived experiences. She believes that the people closest to the pain should be closest to the power and that a diversity of voices in the political process is essential to making policies that benefit more Americans. Born in Cincinnati and raised in Chicago, Congresswoman Pressley is the only child of a single mother and a father who was in and out of the criminal justice system - creating an unstable household and forcing her to mature at a rapid rate. While her father ultimately overcame his addiction and went on to become a published author, Congresswoman Pressley was primarily raised by her mother Sandra Pressley, a tenants’ rights organizer who instilled in her the value of civic engagement. Thanks to her mother’s dedication to activism, Congresswoman Pressley has always been acutely aware of the role that government can play in lifting up families and communities. Congresswoman Pressley attended the Francis W. Parker School, a private school in Chicago where her activism and commitment to public service took hold. A devoted student, Congresswoman Pressley was supported by her teachers, faculty, and peers and was elected class president every year from 7th grade through senior year of high school.  She was also elected student government president, was a competitive debater through her school’s chapter of Junior State of America, was the commencement speaker for her graduating class, and was named “most likely to be mayor of Chicago.”

Congresswoman Pressley moved to Boston, MA in 1992 to attend Boston University, however, after a couple of years of enrollment, she withdrew from the University to help support her mother. She remained an activist in the community, working as a senior aide to Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, volunteering for Senator John Kerry’s reelection campaign, and working for Senator Kerry for 13 years in a variety of roles, including constituency director and political director.  Senator Kerry described Congresswoman Pressley as a “force” who "believed in public service." In 2009, she launched a historic at-large campaign for Boston City Council and won, becoming the first woman of color elected to the Council in its 100-year history. On the Council, Congresswoman Pressley worked in partnership with residents, advocates, and other elected officials to combat the inequities and disparities facing the community. In her eight-year tenure on the Council, she:

Revised and mandated enforcement of a pregnant and parenting teen policy for Boston Public Schools to strengthen pathways to graduation and to reduce the dropout rate, Developed a comprehensive, culturally competent, medically accurate, and age appropriate sexual education and health curriculum, which was successfully adopted as a permanent part of the Boston Public Schools’ wellness policy, Convened the first “listening-only hearing” in the Boston City Council’s history, where 300 families impacted by gun violence and trauma shared their stories with city officials, Partnered with the National Black Women’s Justice Institute, to develop evidence-based research to reform school disciplinary policies that contribute to the school to prison pipeline for black and Latinx girls, and Successfully pushed for the creation of 75 new liquor licenses, 80% dedicated to disenfranchised neighborhoods, resulting in the creation of dozens of new restaurants and hundreds of jobs in local Boston communities. In 2016, Congresswoman Pressley was named one of The New York Times 14 Young Democrats to Watch. 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. In 2015, she earned the EMILY’s List Rising Star Award and was named one of Boston Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful People. She is also an Aspen-Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership, Class of 2012.   Read the full article