“The nation’s capital, our city, is like no other. African-Americans are the majority population, and the city is one of the most multicultural and multilingual in the United States. My campaign is rooted in racial justice and equity which cuts across all the issues important to me and our city. Now is the time to ensure our government leaders and elected officials reflect the District's diverse population. It is time to elect the first immigrant and Latina to the DC City Council and that is why I am running to become a DC At-Large Council Member.”
PROTECTING CIVIL RIGHTS
“As Director of the DC Office of Human Rights for six years, I oversaw thousands of civil rights investigations delivered results for residents facing discrimination when applying for a job or housing, as well as defending workers fired or punished because of their race, age, gender or for having a disability. I also led the enforcement of new laws protecting returning citizens, pregnant workers and the LGBTQ community.”
Goals & Priorities:
★ Protect all vulnerable communities from discrimination.
★ Establish a human rights code of ethics that protects Black and Brown communities and poor families from harm at the hands of their government.
★ Add laws that protect immigrants and essential workers regardless of their legal status.
★ Full funding and oversight of the The REACH Act, The Racial Equity Achieves Results Act of 2020 so we can reallocate funds to city services in vulnerable wards in the District.
EDUCATION
“We need a whole-child approach to education in the District. We cannot continue to ask the same of all schools if we are not willing to give some students more in order to get there. Equity is not giving each school the same, it is putting additional monetary support and services where kids need them most. Given the traumatic impact of the COVID crisis, now more than ever we must give additional funding to schools and families struggling to learn, receive support services and the technology they need to stay connected.”
Goals & Priorities:
★ Deliver support to parents who are essential workers or who need support keeping their children home so all families can have more safe options for child care as we continue facing COVID-19.
★ Prioritize student safety and well-being by removing police officers from schools and increasing funding for student health related needs.
★ Pioneer a comprehensive planning model that delivers more coordinated planning and funding for all LEAs with priority placed on families and students who do not have the equipment and support systems to learn.
★ Fund programs to help young people stay in school.
PUBLIC SAFETY
“I know we can prevent deadly violence on our streets and improve public safety by making the right investments in schools, young adults and under resourced families. Young people need resources and caring adults now more than ever. For more than twenty years I created and led youth
violence prevention initiatives and community partnerships that saved lives.”
Goals & Priorities:
★ Strengthen and expand existing initiatives that utilize community based, solution focused, and conflict management strategies that uses a public health approach, instead of a law enforcement approach, to violence prevention and intervention.
★ Demand transparency and accountability for the Metropolitan Police Department as we build new crisis response systems for families.
★ Support and assist victims of violence and communities in crisis.
★ Invest in returning citizens helping them reintegrate back to their communities.
Housing
“I believe that housing is a human right. This means we need an aggressive 10-year plan to reduce the displacement of low income and middle income families. I have worked inside the government for eight years and the District government must reduce inefficiencies in our housing support systems. We must also take aggressive action to pass rent control laws, invest in permanently affordable housing and provide help for families experiencing great hardship due to COVID-19.”
Goals & Priorities:
★ Reform the District’s Rapid Rehousing Program and reduce the number of individuals and families cycling back into emergency shelters.
★ A 50% increase in investments for permanently affordable housing for very low income households and develop a 10 year plan to increase the stock of affordable housing in the District.
★ Support expanding rent control in order to slow the pace of rising rent.
EMPLOYMENT & SMALL BUSINESSES
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, locally owned businesses are closing their doors at an alarming rate and people are their livelihoods and workers are losing their jobs. Workers need programs that retrain them to work in the industries addressing the COVID-19 crisis. We must also protect our business owners and the type of services that they bring to our District. Many of these businesses bring culture to our city and are the heart of our communities and this is important to preserve.”
Goals & Priorities:
★ Fund grants and relief programs for small businesses to be able to remain open and so jobs are preserved.
★ Prioritize the safety of essential workers and ensure health-care providers can access and pay for the PPE equipment for all front line workers.
★ Support minority owned businesses and ensure that DC residents are prioritized for new job opportunities.
★ Invest in job programs that help young adults build a future for themselves.
AFFORDABLe & ACCESSIBLE HEALTHCARE
“I believe that access to affordable and quality healthcare is a human right. Every resident in the District, regardless of their zip code, income, status, age, or race, must have access to preventative healthcare and health centers that are equipped with the right resources-resources that meet the needs of all residents.”
Goals & Priorities:
★ Lead efforts to ensure that the new hospitals at St. Elizabeth and Howard University making sure the projects are completed on time and on budget.
★ Invest in community based health facilities and urgent care centers that provide culturally competent services to residents of all.
★ Protect the DC Healthcare Alliance that insures under resourced families that do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare are covered.
DC STATEHOOD
“The fight for statehood is a fight against systemic racism. I will continue to fight for DC statehood because we deserve the same voting rights that all other tax-payers in the U.S. enjoy - denial of these rights means that as DC residents we are being denied our constitutional rights and human rights.”
Goals & Priorities:
★ Finally have a voice through our voting members of the House of Representatives and Senators – this is fundamental to our democracy.
★ Gain full control over passing our local laws – no more Congressional control over our local issues such as stricter gun control laws and regulation of marijuana.
★ Statehood means we will run our own local courts and have control over local prosecutors and the criminal justice system- including parole, probation and prison.
