As part of our “Women on Wednesdays” series, please join the Women & Politics Institute for a virtual conversation with WPI Executive Director Betsy Fischer Martin and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), author of the new book, Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman’s Guide to Politics and Political Change, which chronicles her path from a “sixteen-year-old Indian immigrant to grassroots activist, state senator, and now progressive powerhouse in Washington, DC.”
In November 2016, Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, the first Indian American woman to serve in that role. Reflecting on her personal journey as an immigrant woman of color to the corridors of power‚ Use the Power You Have “offers a wealth of ideas and inspiration for a new generation of engaged citizens interested in fighting back and making change.”
ABOUT REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL
Elected in 2016, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is now serving her second term in Congress representing Washington’s 7th District. She is the first South Asian American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and one of only 14 naturalized citizens currently serving in Congress.
Rep. Jayapal is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, where she serves as Vice Chair of the Immigration Subcommittee, and on the House Education & Labor and Budget Committees. She is also the elected Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; the Immigration Subcommittee Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific Asian Caucus; and a Vice Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus.
Prior to serving in elected office, Rep. Jayapal spent twenty years working internationally and domestically in global public health and development and as an award-winning national advocate for women’s, immigrant, civil, and human rights.
ABOUT BETSY FISCHER MARTIN
Betsy Fischer Martin is an Emmy-winning journalist and former TV news executive. Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University and a faculty member in the School of Public Affairs, where she teaches courses on campaigns and elections. During her earlier career in television news, she spent 23 years at NBC News serving as the longtime Executive Producer of Meet the Press with Tim Russert and as the Managing Editor of NBC News Political Programming.
