Young Women of Color Winning Elections
Session Type(s): Panel
Starts: Thursday, Jul. 11 9:00 AM
Ends: Thursday, Jul. 11 10:00 AM
Room: 118A
Young, elected women of color speak to the role that racism and sexism played throughout their campaigns. Each panelist will tell her story about personal and systemic challenges they faced as they mounted successful, grassroots-driven bids for public office and share potential solutions, including how activists can support individual candidates as well as the broader movement to help more women of color win their first elections, reelections, and runs for higher office. Panelists will bring diverse perspectives from across the country on how they dealt with the intersectionality of racism and sexism in every aspect of their campaigns, from the decision to run for office to raising money and dealing with institutional supporters and allies.
Moderator
Lizet Ocampo
Lizet Ocampo is the national Political Director at People For the American Way, where she runs the organization’s political activities in federal, state, and local elections across the country, including the Next Up Victory Fund and the Latinos Vote! programs. Next Up Victory Fund helps young progressives win state and local elections. Ocampo has more than a decade of political experience, having worked in the White House, both Obama campaigns (including Chicago headquarters), as a leadership staffer for Democrats in Congress, and in helping to set up the first Latino super PAC in the country.
Panelists
Sammi Brown
West Virginia’s Activist turned West Virginia Legislator.
Former Labor Organizer. Elected in 2018 representing the district that encompasses my Hometown of Charles Town.
Since elected, I’ve championed Economic Justice through “Fair Shake Policy Initiatives, Second Chance and Expungement Legislation, and an acute focus on policy affecting Sexual Assault Survivors (Survivors Bill of Rights, End the Backlog).
Named a Rising Star by both PCCC and WV Citizen Action Group.
Appointed as Representative/Director for the State of WV through Women In Government.
Earned both Bachelors and MBA from Shepherd University.
Anna Eskamani
Orlando native, daughter of immigrants, authentic, and unafraid progressive. Worked at Planned Parenthood, UCF grad, elected in 2018 to serve Florida State House District 47.
Summer Lee
Summer Lee is the Democratic nominee in Pennsylvania’s 34th State Representative District. Summer Lee’s campaign for State Representative ignited a massive grassroots movement, powering Summer to a stunning 30-point margin of victory over a 20-year entrenched incumbent. She grew up in the North Braddock and Rankin neighborhoods and currently resides in Swissvale. She is a proud graduate of Woodland Hills High School, Pennsylvania State University and Howard University School of Law, where she specialized in civil rights and constitutional law. Summer has been a leader in the recent struggles to bring justice to the Woodland Hills School District, and worked as an organizer with the Fight for $15 and led the way in building a pipeline of progressive political power across Allegheny County.
Other sessions: Making Herstory: The Women who are Shifting the Balance of Power in Washington