Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is recognized for her no-nonsense approach in her quest for justice and equality. During a recent interview, she stressed the importance of lawmaking in the pursuit of equity.
“It’s important to me that I’m more than a first, that I’m not the last and that I have a long legislative record because the disproportionate hate, hurt, and harm that Black folks have experienced was not a naturally occurring event,” she told ESSENCE. “These were legislated hurts. The path to equity and to justice and to healing is also through lawmaking.”
Pressley, a member of the Democratic, progressive group nicknamed “The Squad,” by President Trump, has been making waves in politics after she scored an upset primary victory over Rep. Michael Capuano in 2018.
“When [myself and my team] took our oath of office, we entered in the midst of a federal government shutdown, a year from the date of our being in Congress, we were voting on articles of impeachment. Of course, I voted in the affirmative,” she told the publication.
Earlier this year, Pressley bravely sat down for an interview with The Root, where she revealed that she had been diagnosed with Alopecia. During the interview, the congresswoman removed her wig to reveal her beautiful, bald head.
As with everything she does, there was a powerful message behind the grand reveal.
“For me, I think ultimately it’s about authentically showing up for yourself, and just knowing that I think we all have a responsibility to not only occupy space, but to create space for others,” she says. “And you get to decide what that looks like for you. But I know for me as a Black woman in politics, that everything I do is political, how I enter a room, how I show up, how I’m dressed, what I wrap these curves in.”
