I have been a public servant and an entrepreneur for over 20 years.
The state is where it’s at – where policies that impact our education, careers, and life are made.
In 2018, we can make a change with over 20 potential new legislators elected across the state – new voices, innovative ideas – Let’s Do This!
Our platform is built on:
- Build A Life – Education, Careers/Job, Public Safety, and Thriving Communities
- Be A Bridge – Harness our diversity towards a stronger 5th District and an even greater America.
My very first memory is of my graduation from the Head Start preschool program for low-income children in Chicago. I proudly stood on stage, a great gap-toothed smile on my face and a gold paper crown on my head. My hair was in tight braids and I was wearing a scratchy polyester dress my mother had sewn on her used Singer sewing machine. At that moment, even though so many obstacles were in my way, I thought I could be anything I wanted…
Success in life requires access to education, to resources, and, most importantly, to systems that will support us in getting there. But in today’s America, too many hardworking residents are constantly faced with new taxes, don’t have access to quality healthcare, daycare, or elder care, can’t make ends meet, don’t feel safe.
Build a Life, Be A Bridge – this is why I am tossing my scarf into the ring for Illinois State Representative from the 5th District.

Build a Life: Education
high quality learning in schools = skilled adults ready for great jobs
As a graduate of Headstart preschool for low-income children, and a product of public schools, I know firsthand the importance of a high quality education. I have spent my entire career focusing on developing systems that give each of us the best opportunity to succeed in education – to be ready to succeed in career and life.
The 5th District is currently struggling with a dozen school issues – from rats to potential closings to poor teacher/principal development. We must live in a state that puts education first- and educators as legislators can help us do that.
I have been a teacher, an administrator, and a parent- I understand how a complete education system works.

Build a Life: Jobs/ Careers – Economic Security
I believe a strong indicator of whether a community is thriving is to assess the potential of a child, young adult, and family in that environment. A child must have a parent who has a great job, a young adult must look forward to a sustainable financial future, and our elders must be able to prepare for a secure retriement.
Our district is a slice of America; it has some of the most prosperous areas of the city as well as areas that need revitalization. Working to ensure all residents are able to Build a Life and then protect the fruits of their labor – is possible.

Build a Life: Public Safety/Criminal Justice Reform
As an educator and a woman, I know what it looks like when a child is unsafe, when a woman or man is violated, and when communities are not secure. When my 22 year-old daughter leaves our home to go to work or play, I want her to be safe. When my 24 year-old son goes out with his friends, I want people to see him for the good man he is rather than the stereotype others have created of him.
The safety of our residents as our primary concern is largely dependent on the environment that exists within our communities. Communities need support from state agents, law enforcement officers and community leaders to confront the systemic roadblocks on individuals that create cycles of violence.

Build a Life: Thriving Communities
Our current State Representative is Juliana Stratton. Representative Stratton has proposed and advocated for legislation that creates a stronger 5th District. As an educator, entrepreneur, and policy expert, I will continue this legacy and further develop legislation that ensures our communities in our District, and across the state, are thriving. We want to have individuals and families living, working, playing, earning and spending in our district!
I am a teacher and my husband is a physician. We have conversations every day about access to high-quality education- and good medical and wellness care. This cannot be the right of a privileged few- it must be the right of every child, woman, man, elderly, and veteran resident. As our federal government, under our president’s dangerous policies, erodes these rights, our state will have to protect our residents.
The health of a nation is only as strong as the health of its residents. When each resident contributes to it, we are better as a whole society. Even though it is not a constitutional right, as education is not, it is in our public interest to ensure every resident in our nation has healthcare. Opting out of healthcare is not an option. In order to provide adequate healthcare for every resident, we have to spread the risk - all have to buy into this system, regardless of our income, age, and health status.
I will work to support the Affordable Care Act as the law of the land. At the state level:
- Medicaid should, as it is, provide healthcare for low-income residents
- Medicaid should be expanded to include options for those who want to buy in at cost, regardless of their income level
- Some residents will get health care insurance from their employers and this is their form of healthcare. I will work with colleagues and stakeholders to ensure good coverage is accessible
- Private options should always be available to those who choose it
I want to work with hospitals to create avenues that make it easy for Illinois residents to access healthcare at low premiums. I will look at issues that bar access to Healthcare such as language, location, and income.
I will review Veterans’ healthcare with my colleagues. I will make certain Veterans are given preferential access and that their coverage includes clinics throughout cities and rural areas. Benefits should cover transportation for low income residents who don’t have access easily to large hospitals or small clinics. I echo the universal stances of social justice but will also go into nuances with specific populations and cases – women, children, veterans, etc.
I support CHIP – Children’s Health Insurance Program – to provide every child with healthcare coverage, regardless of their parents’ income, or their ability to pay. CHIP is in danger due because the federal government allowed it to expire without funding it, and now, thousands of children across Illinois (and 9 million across the country) may not have healthcare.

Families like mine, that immigrated here for a better life, and have also given back to our communities multifold, represent the vast majority of American immigrant stories. I support comprehensive immigration reform.
Access to decent and safe housing is essential to every Chicago family, regardless of race, ethnic origin, creed, income, etc. In 2018, we will celebrate fifty years of the federal Fair Housing Act which enshrines the right to equal housing opportunity for all, and an affirmative obligation on the part of communities receiving federal funds to ensure that their neighborhoods are inclusive, accessible and diverse. I am proud that our state has expansive fair housing laws that extend protection to LGBTQ individuals. But housing discrimination persists.
I would push for more robust education and the swift enforcement of existing laws. I would also work to alleviate the burden of families struggling to meet housing costs that have risen faster than their incomes. Too many are shelling out over half their paychecks or pensions for the rent or mortgage, sacrificing their health care, credit, and even meals just to live near their jobs or families. I would work with my colleagues in the legislature to preserve and expand housing opportunities in every corner of the state, including every neighborhood in Chicago. Regardless of whether someone is homeless, a paycheck away from eviction or foreclosure, or scraping by on a modest income, we should all have the right to live lives of dignity.
Today, more than ever before in our lifetime, there is a unique urgency to this work, and I am committed to partnering with leaders to serve our state and country by protecting its lands, water, and air for our future generations. The urgency stems from the fact that our federal government is leading the attack on natural resources. I applaud the current efforts by the Sierra Club and our partners. I will support and further develop legislation that ensures backstops to the assault on the EPA. I am eager to engage the expertise and experience of organizations like the Sierra Club, MPC, and Friends of Chicago River, in order to craft legislation. I will also work hard to connect environmentally conscious entrepreneurs and businesses to economic opportunities in our district. I support the Future Energy Jobs Act and other legislation that connects economic development and environmental responsibility. I also believe that the Illinois labor market will continue to benefit from clean water infrastructure projects. A 2014 report jointly released by the MWRD and the Sierra Club finds that for every 1 billion spent on clean water infrastructure there are approximately 11,200 job hours created throughout the economy.
My father worked for the Chicago Transit Authority for over 25 years. I grew up using our transportation systems and continue to value it today. We need to invest more deeply in our public transport systems, including advertising to our residents across urban and suburban areas. Residents must better understand the personal ease and financial benefits of our public transportation system to help them make a more informed decision about their everyday practices. Transit equity issues in our most vulnerable neighborhoods, some of which are listed above and others that are right here in my 5th district, must be addressed at the State and local level. In the years ahead, it will be critical to ensure that local and state policies do not adversely affect our communities and will, in fact, further responsible development. The legacy of inspirational citizens like Hazel Johnson, the mother of the environmental justice movement on the south side of Chicago, will live on in responsible legislation.
We will leverage the unique character in each of our neighborhoods. Our District has a vibrant and growing list of great places to eat, share culture, pray, and play. Why move to Indiana or Alabama or Nevada when we have a vibrant city- there are free cultural events throughout the year. One of my favorite spots this summer was the Summer Dance Festival. Each week we had great music that many Chicagoans came to listen and dance to. We have neighborhood festivals such as the African Festival of the Arts in Washington Park and, on Thursdays during the summer, the South Loop Farmers Market. Our district has churches, mosques, temples, and reflection centers for every faith and lifestyle. And, of course, we have great food such as Evelyn’s Food Love, Peach’s, Sip and Savor, and the incredible variety across the Loop areas. We need to stop retail leakage - and keep our residents making and spending money in our communities.

Be A Bridge: Neighbors and Allies
Reverend Leslie Sanders says, “We may not be the same skin color, but you and I are the same kind.” In this diverse country, we should have each other’s back. But actually, some people, bolstered by our divisive President, are trying to keep us apart. They say I don’t belong, you are no good, and he is scary. The silver lining in such a contentious environment is that we are stepping up and speaking up. We are fighting for the values of our great nation- pluralism, liberty, and justice. We know we are stronger when we knock on doors side-by-side, and speak truth to power – together.
I will build bridges between residents so together, we are allies towards a stronger community. As a Headstart kid from a low-income family who grew up to Build a Life with her husband, I fight to ensure every resident can live the American Promise. As a mother who raised three children who are now starting their own lives as adults and residents of their community, I will make sure every mother can rest at night knowing their child is safe. As a businesswoman who strives to keep her business successful and growing, I will work to ensure each of us with dreams has the opportunity to pursue them.
Sources for All Data Available Upon Request