Meet Ayanna Pressley, the first Black congresswoman in Massachusetts: a member of The Squad, she’s pro-choice, battles alopecia – and said a Donald Trump presidency would result in a ‘murdering spree’

Jun 7 , 2024

Who is congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and why has she warned against a Donald Trump presidency? Photo: @ayannapressley/Instagram

Pressley was the first woman of colour to be elected to the Boston City Council, and is a member of a Democratic group called The Squad – which also consists of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar

She was raised by a single mother, and previously worked for congressman Joe Kennedy and secretary of state John Kerry – now she’s a vocal advocate for women’s and children’s rights

Ayanna Pressley, who turned 50 this year, gained global recognition after being the first woman of colour to be elected to Congress from Massachusetts. She later became one of the core members of The Squad, an informal group of progressive Democrats in Congress – many of its best known figures being women of colour. She is also a force of nature, relentlessly advocating for single-led households and working to prevent violence against women and children.

“Today and always, I’m celebrating women,” Ayanna Pressley wrote earlier this year. Photo: @ayannapressley/Instagram

Pressley has said that “the people closest to the pain should be the closest to the power”, and her life story illustrates just that. So what else do you need to know about the politician – who recently claimed Donald Trump becoming president would result in a “murdering spree”?

Ayanna Pressley was raised by her single mother

Supporters for Ayanna Pressley during Pride Month. Photo: @ayannapressley/Instagram

Pressley was raised by her mother, Sandra Pressley, per her bio on her website. She was born in Cincinnati and raised in Chicago. Her father was in and out of the criminal legal system while she was growing up, and had little to do with raising her. But his absence, as well as her mother raising her as a single parent, had a lifelong impact on the congresswoman: she has since used her influence in politics to push for tax breaks for single parents, per The Washington Times.

She’s a history-making politician

Ayanna Pressley fighting for abortion care after the overturning of Roe v Wade. Photo: @ayannapressley/Instagram

Pressley knew quite early in her career that she wanted to advance a political agenda focused on alleviating poverty and preventing violence against women and children, according to her bio on the City of Boston website. In November 2009, she made history when she became the first woman of colour to be elected to the Boston City Council.

Her political career saw her working as a senior aide for congressman Joe Kennedy and political director for secretary of state John Kerry. It was during this time that she was motivated by colleagues to run for office. “I want to create a policy that will stand long after I’m gone, to prevent social ills and to mitigate the adverse impact of them,” she said, per Time magazine.

Pressley went on to become the first Black woman to be elected from Massachusetts to the United States Congress – and her achievement has motivated more members of the Black community to enter politics, per the City of Boston official website.

Ayanna Pressley gave a shout-out to the work of Personal PAC, a committee for supporting pro-choice politicians. Photo: @ayannapressley/Instagram

Pressley recently spoke about creating an annual Disability Reproductive Equity Day to showcase how the reproductive healthcare needs of the disability community are not met, per The 19th: “Disability justice is reproductive justice, and we cannot have one without the other.”