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First things first: have you made your plan to vote? If you haven't yet, please visit vote.org or your state election website to figure it out—and vote early if you can!
This month, we want to introduce you to an incredible lawmaker from Florida, Representative Anna Eskamani. Anna serves the 47th district in the state legislature in Tallahassee, and when we heard her speak at a virtual event a few weeks ago, we were blown away by her energy and thoughtfulness—it's no wonder that she flipped her seat as an insurgent candidate two years ago! Anna also taught us a lot about the crucial importance of an often-ignored level of government: the state legislature. "It's incredibly important that you know who your state lawmakers are!" Anna says. "These are the folks making decisions everyday that impact your life; know them and hold them accountable!" We couldn't have said it better ourselves. So, without further ado, we're handing the mic over to Anna! Enjoy, friends.
Jake & Riva
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I N T R O D U C T I O N S
Meet Anna
My name is Anna, and I'm a working class daughter of immigrants, born and raised in Orlando, Florida. My parents came to the United States from Iran and worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. We didn’t have a lot of money but we had a whole lot of love. Everything changed in 2004 when I lost my Mom to cancer. I was just thirteen, but I made a decision then and there to honor my Mom’s life through the act of empowering others.
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O R I G I N S T O R Y
Thinking Politically
The personal is political, and I realized at a young age that people are treated differently based on the color of our skin, who we love, our gender and how much money we make. I knew that wasn't right, and after going through abstinence education in high school, I found myself at a Planned Parenthood health center looking for answers. The work of Planned Parenthood was an inspiration, and I ended up volunteering and working there for a total of 10 years before I first ran for office in 2018.
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M A K I N G T H E L E A P
Deciding to Run
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Running for office is tough, but deciding to run is tougher! I had been behind the scenes as an organizer and nonprofit professional for at least a decade before seriously considering a run for office. It wasn't until President Trump was elected that I realized we needed new leaders to restore our democracy and redefine what a leader can look like. Of course the Democratic Party didn't think—at first—that little ol' me could flip a seat. But we did. Big time.
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T H E G I G
The Job of State House Rep
Although there are differences state to state, the responsibilities of the legislature are always the same: to pass a state budget, craft and pass state-level policies, and serve our constituents. In Florida, we have what's called a part-time legislature, which means I am only in Tallahassee for about three months of the year. That's when we craft the state budget and policies—and fight back against bad policies when we have to!
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B R A S S T A C K S
Policies at the State Level
We're talking about public education, environmental protection, arts programs, transportation, social safety nets, taxation, criminal justice, healthy care, LGBTQ equality, gun safety and more. These are all decided at a state level! Congress and the White House get a LOT of media attention for what happens on the Hill everyday, but don't forget about state politics—its impact on your life is immeasurably large, and yet, most of us don't even know it's happening.
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H O M E T O W N
The 47th District
My district, which includes Downtown Orlando, was drawn as a swing seat by the state legislature, which means it has swung from red to blue and back again many times over. It's a community that reflects every income, class, race and experience. We're home to Rollins College, Mr. Rogers' alma mater, and Pulse night club as well. It's an incredible place to serve and call home.
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N E W W O R L D O R D E R
COVID-19 + Public Service
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COVID-19 has taken constituent needs to a whole new level. My office alone—which is a team of two very underpaid staffers—has surpassed a constituent caseload of 30,000 people who need unemployment assistance. We've also provided direct cash assistance to Floridians from my own pocket, and have taken our work virtual with more than 100 online events and town halls.
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D A Y T O D A Y
A Day in the Life
These days, it's a balance between managing the needs of my constituents, campaigning for re-election and doing my day job—did I mention that I have one of those?! Because most everything is virtual now, I spend hours on my computer and the phone making sure folks have received all of the available assistance and helping them get back to work. On the campaign trail, we're hosting lots of virtual fundraisers and doing a lot of no-contact canvassing!
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L O C A L P O W E R
Stay In Touch!
If you want to keep in touch with me, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We need your time and treasure to win on November 3rd, and you can learn how at annaforflorida.com! There are also a few other Florida campaigns that are worth learning about. These folks are all working hard to flip their seats and can use all of the help they can get in these final days: Patricia Sigman, Franccesca Cesti Brown, Julie Jenkins and Joshua Hicks. |
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