RFS feel-good update (1/17): Alums hit the ground running in 2023
And watch our favorite RFS collab of the week when one alum testifies on behalf of another's legislation
Hi team - We hope you had a meaningful Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Here’s what a few of our RFS alums wrote in honor of Dr. King.
Indiana State Senator Andrea Hunley:
Prince William County (Virginia) Supervisor Kenny Boddye:
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett:
A day to remember the legacy of Dr. MLK, Jr. & the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service... Today, we recognize just how far we have come & realize just how far we have to go. And, as @BerniceKing reminds us, there would be no #MLKDay w/o #CorettaScottKing https://t.co/5NRkdgffvSAs you commemorate #MLKDay, please remember my mother, as well. She was the architect of the King Legacy and founder of @TheKingCenter, which she founded less than three months after Daddy was assassinated. Without #CorettaScottKing, there would be no MLK Day. #MLKDay2023 https://t.co/zVvMtBftF6
Be A King @BerniceKing
Our favorite RFS collab of the week was when alum Jason Chavez testified on behalf of a bill introduced by alum Zaynab Mohamed that would allow undocumented Minnesotans to get driver’s licenses.
Take some time this week to read this story in The New York Times featuring RFS alum Samy Nemir Olivares about how nonbinary professionals “thread the needle of getting dressed for the office.”
Samy Nemir Olivares, 31, ran for New York State Assembly last year knowing that if he were elected, he would face a Capitol dress code in Albany that didn’t account for his genderqueer identity. During the campaign, he knocked on doors and attended fund-raising events wearing caftans and dresses as an overt statement about gender inclusivity in politics.
“Government, including the Democratic Party, needs to embrace and welcome that it is normal that people wear whatever makes them feel powerful and confident and secure,” said Mx. Olivares, who lost his district’s Democratic primary to the incumbent, Erik M. Dilan, in June.
In more good news, we had even more alums get sworn in across the country last week:
With legislative sessions beginning again, RFS alums aren’t wasting any time getting things done.
Nebraska State Senator Terrell McKinney filed legislation to create citizen police oversight boards.
McKinney said citizen police oversight boards are needed so the public has a place to take complaints and concerns other than the police departments themselves or the city administration.
New York State Senator Jessica Ramos is advocating for legislation that would provide assistance to workers not covered under federal unemployment benefits.
Virginia Delegate Nadarius Clark is continuing to work on reducing the statute of limitations on collecting medical debt.
Four alums in Colorado were featured in an article about some of the high-profile legislation that has been filed:
Rep. Javier Mabrey and Sen. Dylan Roberts sponsored a bill that would create an EpiPen affordability program.
Sen. Julie Gonzalez wrote legislation to promote language accessibility by letting people set a preferred language for insurance documents.
Rep. Brianna Titone filed legislation that would allow property owners to apply for finance resiliency improvements and water efficiency improvements.
New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey is advocating for a free meal program in New York schools.
Kansas State Representative Brandon Woodard is pushing back against anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation in his state.
Indiana State Senator J.D. Ford filed legislation to create harsher penalties for animal cruelty.
Philadelphia City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson is pushing a bill to help make sure families don’t have to spend money and time to untangle house titles.
The neighborhoods most impacted by the issue tend to be those with relatively low housing values, low incomes, and high poverty rates, according to the study. Additionally, predominantly Black neighborhoods, like Wynnefield, where Gilmore Richardson and her sister grew up, have been hardest hit while majority-white neighborhoods have been least affected.
Alum Bernice Mireku-North was appointed to the Maryland House of Delegates.
Armando Montero was elected president of the Tempe Union Governing Board.
And watch this clip of Maryland Delegate Joe Vogel talk about being one of two Gen Z candidates elected to the state’s House of Delegates in November.
"I represent an entire generation of young people who have been unrepresented or under-represented in our government," Vogel said.
That’s all for this week! See you in your inboxes next Monday.
Ross and Abe