Shadow Politics, May 17, 2020
Shadow Politics with Senator Michael Brown and Maria Sanchez
Guests, Brooke Pinto and Janeese Lewis George
Headlined Show, Shadow Politics May 17, 2020
The Changing Face of DC Politics. These days when many young people do not even vote, Brooke Pinto and Janeese Lewis George are currently running for seats on the DC Council in Ward 2 and Ward 4, respectively. We'll ask these young women what motivates them to run for public office and what they each can do to improve their ward for the people of Washington, DC.
Guest, Brooke Pinto
I am running for DC Council because I believe we deserve a leader who we can trust to serve Ward 2 with integrity and transparency.
For the last two years, I have been working on behalf of District residents as the Assistant Attorney General for Policy and Legislative Affairs for the District of Columbia. I saw how LGBTQQIA+ victims of hate crimes were left without protection or recourse in the wake of their attacks. I learned how our small business community was being taken advantage of by out of state businesses defrauding our CBE program. And, I represented DC before the National Attorney General community to advocate for statehood, decriminalized cannabis, and data privacy legislation.
To address the needs of our community, I worked to advance workers’ rights, improve environmental justice, and expand civil rights and consumer protections through everything from data breach to hate crime legislation.
I grew up in Connecticut and I am the youngest of three siblings. I attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and earned my undergraduate degree in Business & Hospitality Administration. I then went on to work at a senior living community in New York where I found myself frequently feeling frustrated on behalf of my clients as I helped them navigate through their healthcare options. This led me to pursue a law degree at the Georgetown University Law Center.
During law school, I served as the Executive Articles Editor for the Journal on Poverty and Public Policy and volunteered at the Landlord Tenant Resource center providing advice to displaced tenants and aggravated landlords. I then advocated for seniors and advanced women’s health issues on Capitol Hill for Senator Blumenthal as his Health and Aging Fellow.
Knowing that I wanted to commit my career to public service, I joined the DC OAG, where I practiced law in our Tax and Finance group litigating cases on behalf of the DC Office of Tax and Revenue. I then moved on to work for Attorney General Racine on Policy, Legislative Affairs, and Legal matters where I was able to work on a broad array of issues plaguing our city.
I am deeply committed to serving the residents of DC and I want to ensure that Ward 2 has a representative on the Council whom they can trust — not only to operate ethically, but also to ensure the issues that matter most are addressed.
Through my experience representing DC residents, I was consistently inspired and impressed our community members’ commitment to equity and advancing justice. We have a lot to be proud of and a lot to work on. I want to be a partner in and advocate for that work.
I felt inspired to get in this race and ensure that an honest, fair, and devoted advocate is at the table. I would be honored and humbled to have your support.
Guest, Janeese Lewis George
I grew up on 2nd Street in Ward 4’s Manor Park, the third generation of Washingtonians in my family. My mom has worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 33 years, and if you’ve been to the Brightwood Post Office, she’s still the person who helps you at the desk with a smile. My mom raised me and my two older siblings to know the importance of family, hard work, education, and public service.
Seeing both DCs
I remember my first time riding the E2 bus across Military Road to the neighborhood where Deal is located. It was like a different world. It felt so much safer. The books at school had all their pages. There were so many more resources and opportunities. And I couldn’t help but wonder, why can’t schools be like this on our side of the park? Now, it’s twenty years later, and Ward 4’s schools still aren’t keeping pace.
Shadow Politics
Shadow Politics is a grass roots talk show giving a voice to the voiceless. For more than 200 years the people of the Nation's Capital have ironically been excluded from the national political conversation. With no voting member of either house of Congress, Washingtonians have lacked the representation they need to be equal and to have their voices heard. Shadow Politics will provide a platform for them, as well as the millions of others nationwide who feel politically disenfranchised and disconnected, to be included in a national dialog.
We need to start a new conversation in America, one that is more inclusive and diverse and one that will lead our great nation forward to meet the challenges of the 21st century. At Shadow Politics, we hope to get this conversation started by bringing Americans together to talk about issues important to them. We look forward to having you be part of the discussion so call in and join the conversation. America is calling and we're listening… Shadow Politics is about America hearing what you have to say. It's your chance to talk to an elected official who has spent more than 30 years in Washington politics. We believe that if we start a dialog and others add their voices we will create a chorus. Even if those other politicians in Washington don't hear you — Senator Brown will. He's on a mission to listen to what America has to say and use it to start a productive dialog to make our democracy stronger and more inclusive. If we are all part of the solution we can solve any problem.
