I have spent my career in public service fighting for equality, justice, and progress. I came to North Carolina to attend law school and later became an attorney, civil rights advocate, and state legislator. As a progressive leader in Raleigh, I worked to pass the South’s first anti-racial profiling bill, fought to reform juvenile justice programs, passed laws to expand voting rights, and opposed laws that would take our state backward, including anti-LGBTQ Amendment One. In Congress, I’m honored to serve on the House Judiciary Committee and as the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.
The right to vote is a cornerstone of our democracy. It’s imperative that we work to strengthen voting rights – not make it more difficult for North Carolinians to cast a ballot. That’s why I voted for and cosponsored the For the People Act, a sweeping package to protect and expand voting rights, restore integrity in government, and put the needs of the American people ahead of the priorities of powerful special interests.
I also voted to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, crucial legislation to restore the fundamental guarantees of the Voting Rights Act and prevent discriminatory voting practices, like racial gerrymandering and restrictive voter ID laws.
In addition, I voted to pass the Equality Act, which will prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. This historic legislation protects LGBTQ Americans from discrimation in the workplace and other public fields like education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding, housing and public accommodations, and more.
As a Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, I am working to shed light on hate crimes against Asian American communities. Last year, our Subcommittee held the first hearing since 1987 on discrimination and violence against Asian Americans, focusing on incidents of hate spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. I voted to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would facilitate an expedited review of hate crimes related to COVID-19, as well as a resolution condemning hate and bigotry against Asian Americans in the wake of the shootings in Atlanta, Georgia on March 16.
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