What I believe
Criminal Justice
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As a former public defender, I have a deep understanding of our judicial system and know the systemic inequities that exist within it. I am committed to providing strong reform that helps uplift all residents in the 12th Suffolk.
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Create a new standing committee: I will look to support the creation of a House committee specifically focused on racial equity and combating discrimination.
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Anti-racist legislation: Introduce legislation that would make false, race-based accusations to law enforcement a hate crime.
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Require police body cameras: Implement immediate and universal use of body cameras for the Boston Police Department and Massachusetts State Police.
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Demilitarize police: By compelling Massachusetts to withdraw from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) 1033 Program;
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Support 10-point plan: Endorse and work to implement the 10-point policing reform plan proposed by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, City Councilor Andrea Campbell, and the Massachusetts Black & Latino Caucus.
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Education
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Every single student in our community deserves a world-class education beginning with pre-K through high school and beyond. I am committed to our public schools. As a former educator, I have seen first-hand how thoughtful policies to close opportunity and achievement gaps can change the lives of our students.
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Meaningful family engagement: Meaningful family engagement to foster true partnership and collaboration between educators and families including parent mentors or home visits.
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Supporting the whole child: Provide wrap-around services and encourage more community development of quality schools to address the whole child, including their academic and socio-emotional needs.
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Adult education: Ensure community members have twenty-first century skills for the rapidly changing work landscape.
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Expand pre-K programs: Programming should include access to academic content, meals, support for families on how they can support their child’s learning at home, and assistance for families navigating the school selection process when their student transitions from pre-K.
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Increased funding: I will support and advocate for increased funding for our public schools. To ensure we have the funds necessary, it will be important to carefully implement new, progressive taxes.
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Environment
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Environmental issues intersect with just about everything. As we have seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, those who are more impacted by air quality and climate issues, also have worse health outcomes. We need to address renewable policies and solutions to ensure the long term success of the 12th.
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Reduce carbon emissions: Reduce carbon emissions by transitioning our state’s vehicle fleet to electric and retrofitting public buildings.
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Expand renewable energy resources: Invest in programs and partnerships that expand our access to renewable energy resources, such as solar power.
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Increase recycling and composting: Expanding education and practice around individual recycling and composting practices.
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Correcting natural gas leaks: Support fixing and funding programs that fix natural gas leaks that exist across the Commonwealth, emitting constant pollution.
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Health Care
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We need to ensure that we prioritize the health and wellbeing of our residents as we make it through and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Community health centers: Increase funding for community health centers and community hospitals so all residents have access to quality and affordable health care.
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Universal PPE: We need universal distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) to local small businesses and provide complimentary masks to students.
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Nursing & senior facility measures: We must implement higher regulatory standards for nursing homes and senior housing facilities.
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Task force on health disparities: Create a Massachusetts Task Force on Health Disparities to address the staggering health inequities that make communities of color more susceptible to the impact of COVID-19.
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Contact tracing: Collaboration with City and State officials to expand access to testing and contact tracing in our communities.
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Paid sick leave: Advocate for more generous paid leave and sick time policies.
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Housing
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The foundation for our community starts at home - we thrive when all families, particularly those who have spent years living in and building their neighborhood, have affordable housing options.
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Rent stabilization: Allow local rent stabilization to provide families and residents predictability in rent increases.
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Residential tax exemptions: File legislation to ensure residents who have owned their homes for decades can continue to do so by expanding the local real estate tax exemptions.
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Increase transparency: We need to promote transparency in the home buying process. Buyers should receive a disclosure if a seller’s agent is also a lender and has a financial stake in the sale of a property.
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First time home buying support: Support initiatives that provide education and resources to first-time homebuyers.
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Public Transportation
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I believe that more frequent, reliable public transportation is critical to the growth and development of our community for residents and small businesses.
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Greater accessibility: I will work to schedule the Fairmount Line so it runs every 15 to 20 minutes. This will provide greater flexibility for members of our community to commute to work, travel to school, and connect to and from other parts of the city.
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Expanded public transportation options: I will ensure buses and trolley services are on-time, accessible, and reliable for our community.
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Light rail: Expand service through a light rail from Mattapan Station to Dudley Station to ease traffic along Blue Hill Ave and reduce travel time to Downtown Boston.
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Low-income fares: Advocate for reduced MBTA fares for low-income individuals and families.
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Small Business
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The economic heartbeat of our community lies in our small businesses - they provide thousands of jobs, essential goods, and services. As your representative, I am committed to supporting our small businesses so that they can thrive and grow our community.
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Greater exposure: More reliable public transportation to our corridor will provide small businesses with greater exposure and access to customers
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Reopening task force: Support creation of a Small Business Reopening Task Force to solve regulatory challenges being faced by employers across industries.
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Disaster planning: Demand the proactive development of plans to prepare for a possible spike in COVID-19 or other disasters in order to limit the impact on small businesses and our local economy. This includes ensuring a moratorium on evicting commercial tenants during any pandemic or natural disaster.
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Expanded opportunity: Work with City and State officials to develop business opportunities for individuals in the 12th Suffolk, including additional liquor licenses and increased foot traffic.
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Women’s Health
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As a woman of color I fully understand the importance of being a leading voice to expand access to quality care. Not only that, but the ability for women to make their own health care decisions and access safe and legal abortions is under attack, which is why we don’t just need supportive pro-choice legislators in office; we need legislative champions.
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Increase access to safe and legal abortions: I will support policies that increase an individuals access to safe and legal abortions and that limit barriers to access.
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Comprehensive family planning: Expand and prioritize funding for family planning initiatives.
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Maternal Health: Reduce racial disparities in maternal health and mortality by identifying the causes, and supporting programs that seek to minimize the impact and effect.
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HIV/AIDS prevention: Advocate for budget increases to support HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
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Sex education: Support comprehensive sex education for all gender identifications in our school systems.
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