Charise Willams believes representation matters in government
Charise Willams believes representation matters in government (Chicago, IL) — Charise Williams was familiar with working with federal and state funding when the opportunity arose for the 1st District in Congress. She worked for years to create successful grants for mental health, violence prevention and other key areas that affect Cook County residents.
Two different worlds
“After a lot of praying and making sure there was a path to win, I ultimately made my decision,” said Williams, who is running for 1st District Congressman. “The genesis is that the heart of our district hasn’t changed much in the past 20 years.I was raised in this district on 87th and Stony Island and went to school at Mother McCauley. I would take the 87th Street bus from Stony to State Street, take the Red line and then the bus. You can see how the neighborhood changes where the streets get bigger as you get away from the south side.”
Seeing how Chicago residents can live in the same city but experience different lives depending on their location planted a seed decades ago that continued to germinate into public service. She believes that key resources are not being funneled to the areas in need.
“When (former Governor Bruce Rauner) cut off funding for social services, we didn’t have a budget for two years. There’s a direct correlation in the decrease of state funding, and the increase of violence, a direct correlation of it. There’s a direct correlation between the lack of resources and the effects of violence, poor health or higher property taxes,” she said.
Representation
“Representation matters and that is why I want to be in Congress. Data shows us that if you have someone who is at the head of the table, and that person doesn’t have the best interest of the community in their mind and in their heart and in their policies, it’s detrimental to the community.”
In addition, she said issues such as violence, infrastructure, agriculture, food shortage and roads must be addressed.
“As a Congresswoman, my job is to make my community aware of what’s happening, but also give them the resources to deal with it. That’s one of the things I plan to do. When you say day one, I want to fight to make sure our rights are protected. But also that as a community, we know what’s happening.”
Public servant
Williams describes herself as a public servant who has a vision for the district that will revitalize our communities and build back our families. She is recognized for her work in criminal justice reform, job creation and working with community organizations throughout Chicago and Cook County to increase economic development through employment, education and strengthening families/households, and community building. Charise has successfully granted more than one billion in state and federal funding for programming around mental health services, violence prevention and intervention, police and community training, increased infrastructure development, and support for families and victims of domestic violence.
As your Congresswoman, I will fight for living wages, stop the flow of illegal gun trafficking, ensure quality healthcare for all, and eliminate student debt,” said Williams. “On day one, I will work to protect a woman’s right to choose and fight back against those who wish to repeal our voting rights. I want to ensure that the right policies are in place to build and sustain its communities for now and future generations.”
Charise Willams believes representation matters in government
Responses