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On the issues
Wage Equality and Civil Rights
I believe in equal pay for equal work. In 2015 it was predicted that the state of Michigan will not reach equal pay for women until 2086--This statistic is unacceptable. As a working mom, I am prepared to fight to abolish the wage gap between men and women so that women have the opportunity to be equally as financially successful as their male counterparts.
I will stand up in Lansing for paid maternity and paternity leave--raising a child is time consuming yet extremely rewarding, and parents should not have to suffer financially for prioritizing the needs and benefits of their children over a paycheck.
I will fully support any legislation that mandates equal pay and paid parental leave for the welfare of mothers and their families everywhere.
I also believe in paid earned sick time. I will work to ensure that our working class families have the ability to earn sick time/days. I had my first child in 2007 and at the time, I worked at Chase Bank. There were days that I wasn't sick, but my son was ill and I needed to take him to the doctor. Although we were provided sick days, there are countless others who are forced to choose between a job versus your family. This is a choice no one should have to make.
Education and Protecting Public Schools
Quality education is the foundation for a bright future.
As a mother of three children, I understand the importance of education. I will fight for students in our district to get the quality education that they not only deserve, but require in order to lead successful lives.
I am the product of our public schools. I attended Barth Elementary, Romulus Middle School and graduated from Romulus High School in 1998. My counselor Mrs. Jackson helped me to fill out my college applications. I was first generation college in my family and depended heavily on the administrators. As a result, I was accepted into every college that I applied and made the decision to attend Michigan State University. I would not be in this position today, if not for the phenomenal educators in this district. From the amazing bus drivers to the nurturing lunch moms; they all played a vital role in my success.
It is a high priority to invest in our public schools, while holding for-profit charter schools accountable.
Just this month, (July) our federal courts ruled that access to literacy is not a fundamental right. Historically, access to literacy has been a tool to keep certain communities down. This stops now!
I will fight for teachers’ wages, support policies and programs to improve future prospects for students including secondary education, affordable college and vocational training, and work hard to bring funding back to public education, where it truly belongs.
Healthcare
It goes without saying that the state of healthcare in our district - and in our country - is poor. Healthcare is oftentimes unaffordable and most choose to remain uninsured. I will fight for healthcare.
Last year after having my daughter, I left the hospital only to be met with thousands of dollars in hospital bills. I did not have a complicated birth and I chose an insurance plan through the marketplace.
There are many people who cannot afford health coverage so they go without. I propose a single payer health care system for our state. While this will take the support of different layers of Government, I will fight to pave the way. I vow to make those relationships so that healthcare is available to all.
Healthcare is a basic human right!
Which candidates are receiving compensation from ‘big pharma’ or other large healthcare institutions?
Protecting our Environment
Currently, we have over 120,000 tons of radio-active materials being hauled into Van Buren Township. We are told that these materials have elements that are linked to cancer whether inhaled OR ingested.
In November 2015, at age 34, I lost my mother to cancer. When my mother was 37 years old, she lost her mother to cancer. During the time that my mom was being treated she had every test ran on her to see if she had the cancer gene. She did not. My mother used to always question whether the outbreak is cancer was due to something in our environment.
This is an issue that touches close to home for me. Our district is not a dumping ground for other states. This waste is coming to our district from Ohio. As your next State Representative, I will be your voice on the issues that are critical to our district.