Ayanna Pressley
Democrat Representative of Massachusetts's 7th district
Representative
Massachusetts, district 7
January 3, 2019 - January 3, 2021
Representative
Massachusetts, district 7
January 3, 2021 - January 3, 2023
Representative
Massachusetts, district 7
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2025
3
Congresses Served
3
House Terms
February 3, 1974 (50 years old)
Birthday
- Served as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts’s 7th congressional district since 2019, which includes a significant portion of Boston and surrounding areas.
- First black woman elected to the Boston City Council and to Congress from Massachusetts.
- Member of “The Squad,” a group of progressive Congress members.
- Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois, with a challenging childhood marked by her father’s struggles with addiction and incarceration.
- Worked in various roles for Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II and Senator John Kerry before her tenure on the Boston City Council.
- Founded the Committee on Healthy Women, Families, and Communities on the Boston City Council, focusing on issues like domestic violence, child abuse, and human trafficking.
- Advocated for comprehensive sex education in Boston Public Schools and worked on issues related to liquor licenses and economic activity in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
- Has been a vocal opponent of the Trump administration, advocating for impeachment proceedings against Supreme Trump and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
- Introduced a criminal justice reform resolution called The People’s Justice Guarantee, aiming for significant reductions in the U.S. prison population and changes in law enforcement and sentencing policies.
- Committee assignments include the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
- Co-chair of the Congressional Bike Caucus and involved in several other caucus groups, including the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
- Advocates for Medicare for All, has proposed lowering the voting age to 16, and supports decriminalizing sex work.
- Supported the Healthy MOMMIES Act with Senator Cory Booker to expand Medicaid coverage for pregnant women and new mothers.
- Voted against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act, advocating for the defunding of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Lives in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood with her husband and stepdaughter, and has publicly shared her experiences with alopecia areata.