She spent part of her life in a foster care system that was broken, and in a homeless shelter that did more to set her back than move her forward. My father was unable to afford childcare as a security guard, and had to bring my brothers and me to work rather than enroll us in a childcare center that would be beneficial for our development. My brothers, lacking job opportunities, were caught up in a life of selling drugs and ended up in and out of the prison system. Luckily, through community members who never gave up on me, I was able to attend college and graduate. I never lost faith that we can tackle the systemic problems that are facing residents, many of whom are dealing with the same issues that my own family dealt with. from what it is to what it must be to guarantee that everyone has an opportunity to live and thrive here. This means providing accessible, high-quality child care; K-12 public education; and colleges and adult learning centers. It means generating opportunities for workers to build a city run on 100 percent clean energy, so D.C. can be an environmentally sustainable leader of the green economy. This means working with residents, tenants, community leaders, and advocates to use community-powered land trusts to develop and preserve affordable housing, expand green spaces, and promote small, community-centered businesses. I am running to be a transformative leader of the present, so that we can create the policies we need to ensure we have a future that includes everyone.
