In the 1940’s, my grandmother attended Miner Teachers College, a school created for Black women at a time when doors were closed to us everywhere else. My grandfather worked for IBM in a time when you worked for the same company until you retired. Together, they built a life here and raised my mother in a city that promised opportunity, even when it didn't always deliver.
My grandmother became a social worker, dedicating her life to helping others. My mother became a federal government employee, serving this city with pride. My stepfather was an electrician and a proud member of the IBEW union. I grew up in a middle class household where I was the oldest of four.
I attended St. Thomas Moore Catholic Elementary School, located in Ward 8, and graduated from La Reine Catholic High School. My early education taught me the values that still guide me today: treat others as you would want to be treated, which simply put means treating everyone with dignity, fighting injustice, and never walking past someone who needs help.
My story is a working class story. A union story. A Black family story. A Washington D.C. story.
Three generations of Washingtonians. Three generations of service. Three generations of fighting for a seat at the table.
I went to law school at UDC, David A Clarke School of Law, one of the nation's leading public interest law schools, because I wanted to use my education the way my grandmother used hers: to serve others, to fight for justice, to make this city better. And now I'm raising five children here, fighting for their future the same way my grandmother and mother fought for mine.
But here's what breaks my heart: we're still fighting for the same thing my grandmother fought for eighty years ago the same thing union families like mine have always fought for. The right to be heard. The right to have a say in the laws that govern our lives. The right to full representation in the democracy we serve and call home.
Taxation without representation isn't just a slogan on our license plates. It's my grandmother's story. It's my mother's story. It's my story. It's your story.
I've spent my career fighting for families like yours and mine. As an ANC Commissioner, I listened to neighbors worried about being priced out of the communities they built. As a parent leader with PAVE DC, I stand up for children in all eight wards who deserve better. As the Vice Board Chair of The Northwest Opportunity Partners CDC and as a member of The Committee of 100, I fight for affordable housing by lobbying for racial equity in housing and zoning policies because I know what happens when families can't afford to stay.
As co-chair of the Legislative Committee of The Metropolitan Women's Democratic Club, I've advocated for women, children, and seniors fighting for equal pay, affordable childcare, healthcare access, and the right of our seniors to age with dignity in the communities they built.
As the Vice President of the Black Business Taskforce, I have worked alongside small business owners like myself to advocate for fair and equal opportunities in this city.
As Chair of the Ward 3 Democrats, I've worked to strengthen our party, protect voting rights, and ensure that every voice in our community is heard, not just the loudest or the wealthiest, but everyone who calls this city home.
I've spent countless hours testifying before the D.C. Council on behalf of those who couldn't be there, working parents, seniors, and families struggling to make ends meet. I've held our elected leaders accountable, demanding they do right by the people they serve. And I will take that same fight, that same vigor, to Capitol Hill.
As Chair of the Vote NO on Initiative 83 PAC, I worked to educate the public about ranked choice voting before it ever reached the ballot, when there was still time for honest debate and genuine public understanding.
I raised early concerns about voter confusion, ballot exhaustion, and how complex voting systems can disadvantage everyday voters, especially those already underrepresented in our democracy. Well-funded interests rushed to frame ranked-choice voting as inevitable, but I insisted that voters deserved to understand exactly how their votes would be counted before being asked to approve sweeping changes to our election system. Election reform must strengthen trust and participation, not create barriers that weaken voter confidence
I stood up for voter integrity when powerful corporate PACs and dark-money interests tried to game our democracy. When evidence emerged that petition pages had been altered using white-out, I refused to look the other way, because elections must be fair, transparent, and beyond reproach. I pushed for accountability, clear standards, and enforcement, even when it was inconvenient or unpopular. Democracy only works when voters, not money or manipulation, decide the outcome.
As an alum of Emerge America, I am part of a national community that trains Democratic women to run and win with integrity and purpose. The program reinforced my belief that democracy works best when leaders are prepared, accountable, and grounded in the communities they serve. Emerge strengthened my resolve to lead with integrity, stand up to concentrated power, and put voters, not special interests, at the center of every decision.
I've seen what happens when we come together. When we organize. When we refuse to accept "that's just how it is." That's the Washington I know. That's the Washington I'm fighting for.