Andom A. Ghebreghiorgis

[{"question": "Ballotpedia survey responses", "answer_html": "<p>See also: <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a></p>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Andom Ghebreghiorgis completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ghebreghiorgis' responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading-bio-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI am running for Congress because the progressive people of District-16 are struggling with housing, healthcare, retirement security, and a lack of jobs, but our representative has been more concerned with diverting our public money to endless wars and unnecessary prisons.\n<p>I'm Andom Ghebreghiorgis, and I grew up in Mount Vernon, NY to parents who emigrated from Eritrea. I have a younger brother and sister and an enormous extended family scattered throughout the world.\n</p><p>I attended Lincoln School in Mount Vernon and then Fieldston, in Riverdale, for middle and high school. I graduated from Yale with degrees in Political Science and Economics in 2007. After working at the Robin Hood Foundation, I became a NYC Teaching Fellow in 2009 (I received my Master's in Secondary Special Education at CCNY). I taught MS special education at a renewal school in the Bronx (MS 113) and then was a SPED coordinator/ELA teacher at The Equity Project in Washington Heights. I have written a children's book (Undercover BMX), led workshops on infusing AAVE into English curricula, taught free SAT courses to low-income students, and organized against out-of-school suspensions.\n</p><p>Outside of education, I have been active in Eritrean human rights and Palestinian justice spaces.\n</p>\nI love playing basketball, flag football, &amp; chess. I am a die-hard Knicks and Giants fan, and same goes for Rangers and Yankees (but I'm not as passionate as I was in the 90s). I also attend a lot of intl. soccer matches!\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading-key-message-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>Securing economic justice for all people through a federal job guarantee, single-payer Medicare-for-All, affordable housing for all, and greater union power</li><li>Divesting from the military industrial complex and pursuing new multilateralism necessary for Global Green New Deal</li><li>Fighting for racial justice by advocating for reparations, ending mass incarceration, abolishing ICE and CBP, and fully-funding 3K-16 public education</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading1-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tAs a first-generation American of Eritrean descent, as a black person, and as a special education teacher, many of these policy areas have affected me personally:<br/>\n<p>- School-to-Prison Pipeline, Special Education, LGBTQ+ Inclusive Education, School Integration<br/>\n- Global Green New Deal, Foreign Policy of Peace and Decolonization, Immigrant and Refugee Rights, UNSC Reform<br/>\n- Federal Job Guarantee, Homes Guarantee, Medicare for All<br/>\n- Reparations for Black and indigenous Americans<br/>\n</p>\n- Workplace Democracy<br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading2-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tMy parents and the Eritrean activists of their generation (born between the 40s and 60s) have always been a personal model. They struggled against seemingly impossible odds to liberate Eritrea and sacrificed so much to do it. Some spent decades on the front, putting off families; others gave up personal/professional ambitions in order to be able to better devote themselves to the cause. My parents, in particular, continued their resistance as immigrants in a foreign land. They were tethered to multiple worlds, fully at home in none, but they had solidarity with all fighting injustice and love for everyone. I know, when they were teenagers, they wouldn't have ever thought that they'd spend nearly their whole lives fighting for a free Eritrea or that they'd only visit their homeland once in the last 50 years. Their optimism, hope, and resilience under these circumstances has always inspired me.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading3-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse3-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIs there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading3-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse3-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe Black Jacobins<br/><br/>\nCovering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights<br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading4-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse4-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading4-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse4-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tAbility to center and listen to the voices of the historically marginalized and those closest to the struggle<br/><br/>\n<p>Empathy<br/><br/>\nOpenness and transparency<br/><br/>\n</p>\nAbility to reflect critically<br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading5-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse5-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading5-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse5-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI am of the people I seek to represent. I am from the district, and I taught in the district. I have a first-person understanding of what our communities need, and my experiences enable me to articulate that genuinely.<br/><br/>\n<p>My own personal history informed my unyielding commitment to fighting for the rights of and justice for all people. WEB Du Bois spoke about being black in America as having a \"double-consciousness,\" and I can say growing up as the black American child of Eritrean immigrants that I felt a triple-consciousness. There can be extreme trauma and difficulty in growing up and living in America as a first-generation black person: from cultural dislocation to coming to terms with a white supremacist history of exploitation. The fact that many immigrant parents don't have language or awareness to help us navigate the problems of race and racism here can exacerbate our struggle. <br/><br/>\n</p>\nBut there is also a blessing that comes from being racialized into marginalization: the opportunity and necessity for radical empathy. Even if they were not all directly my histories, I felt the pain of slavery, segregation, racism, genocide, and colonialism in me as a black person. I knew how hypocritical it would be for me to, even latently, support any system of oppression, when I understood the feeling of being oppressed myself. I certainly don't believe blackness or a group's history of marginalization is a prerequisite for radical empathy, but, for me, this understanding helped me unpack my own privilege at a young age, helped me stand in solidarity with other oppressed groups, and helped serve as a foundation for my own activism and work in education. It bestowed upon me a liberatory politics that critiqued and questioned a status quo built on and sustained by imperialism, racism, heteropatriarchy, and economic exploitation, and affirmed that the artifice of stability should never preclude people's right to freedom, equality, and justice.<br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading6-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse6-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading6-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse6-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tRepresenting the constituency is the primary responsibility for the person elected to this office. <br/><br/>\n<p>Constituents need to be heard, and it is our responsibility to listen to their concerns, be present for them in the community, and develop a team to help address the needs of the district as a whole as we advocate for social justice.<br/><br/>\n</p>\nIt's also our responsibility to engage the district, keep constituents informed, and maintain a dialogue with the community. Organizing around issues is how we will work with our constituency to develop legislation that impacts the district and its residents.<br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading7-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse7-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat legacy would you like to leave?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading7-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse7-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThat we fought to dismantle the structures that keep people in poverty and struggled for justice for working people and historically marginalized groups\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading8-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse8-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading8-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse8-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI remember the 1992 Presidential Election just because of Ross Perot. I guess they would make fun of his ears on TV, and, as a 2nd grader at the time, it was the only funny thing that came out of my parents' nightly news-watching. In school, when friends would joke with each other, they'd sometimes compare one's ears to Ross Perot as a \"diss.\" It's a really odd first political memory.<br/><br/>\nLess random, and more politically significant, I remember the celebrations for Eritrea's independence in 1993. Also that same year, I remember the World Trade Center Bombing.<br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading9-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse9-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat was your very first job? How long did you have it?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading9-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse9-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI was a camp counselor for 2 months.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading10-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse10-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is your favorite book? Why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading10-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse10-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tUnfair question...how to choose?! The book that had the greatest impact on me - during my formative, teenage years - is The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Growing up in America, we internalize so much anti-blackness. For me, Malcolm X was the antidote to the identity complexes I had subconsciously struggled with for the better part of my 15 years at that point. This was not because I agreed with everything Malcolm X said or did in the book, but it was very empowering to feel like you were in the shoes of someone who, in the face of virulent, murderous white supremacy, was unabashedly black. It countered the dominant narrative that we had been fed through media-propagated stereotypes and Eurocentric curricula that excluded our histories. Additionally, Malcolm X represented the redemptive possibility of humanity. He went from prison to one of the most respected Black Americans ever. He preached a dogmatic fundamentalism and then admitted he was wrong. He made mistakes and tried to learn from them, which is, at minimum, what we should all be trying to do. He was always trying to do better: for himself, for all of us. Unfortunately, he was never given a full shot.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading11-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse11-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIf you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading11-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse11-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tAnansi the spider\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse12-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading12-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse12-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse12-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat was the last song that got stuck in your head?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading12-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse12-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tToast by Koffee\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse13-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading13-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse13-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse13-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is something that has been a struggle in your life?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading13-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse13-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tQuality sleep\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse14-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading14-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse14-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse14-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading14-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse14-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe power to initiate revenue bills<br/>\n<p>The power to initiate impeachment proceedings<br/>\n</p>\nThe committee system<br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse15-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading15-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse15-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse15-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading15-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse15-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tPolitical experience as a prerequisite for office is a double-edged sword. While serving in government may help a candidate understand how to navigate various systems, prior government experience may also blind representatives from honestly serving their constituents and connecting with them in an authentic way. <br/><br/>\nMy experiences as a teacher have prepared me well to lead my district in the years ahead. Teachers see the frontline impact that government policy can have on a classroom, a community, and student's life. Teachers are capable of anything. Not only do we manage 35 teenagers in an underfunded classroom every second of every day, but we get our young people to believe in themselves when the world has told them they shouldn't. As a special education teacher, I have had to demystify education for many of my students, who may come into my 8th grade class on a 2ndgrade reading level. They've been failed every step of the way. Their challenge is real, and our job as teachers is to create a plan in concert with them and a whole host of diverse stakeholders in the community - social workers, parents, families, sports coaches, religious leaders, community-based organizations - to ensure their success. This is exactly what I will be doing in Congress for communities that have been underserved and disinvested from for too long, communities that don't see a way out, and for a country that has as little faith in government as my students did in school.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse16-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading16-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse16-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse16-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading16-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse16-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tFascism<br/>\n<p>White Supremacy<br/>\nClimate Change<br/>\nIncome Inequality<br/>\nAmerican Exceptionalism<br/>\n</p>\nReproductive Justice\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse17-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading17-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse17-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse17-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIf you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading17-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse17-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tForeign Affairs<br/>\nEducation and Labor<br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse18-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading18-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse18-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse18-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading18-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse18-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tNo, two years is too short. It feels like congressional representatives spend more time fundraising and campaigning than anything else. We should add a year or two to their terms.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse19-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading19-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse19-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse19-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat are your thoughts on term limits?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading19-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse19-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI support term limits. Representatives should not be serving more than twelve years in one office, let alone 30.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse20-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading20-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse20-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse20-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIs there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading20-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse20-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThaddeus Stevens<br/>\nBarbara Lee<br/></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse21-59984-2019-12-26\" id=\"heading21-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse21-59984-2019-12-26\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse21-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tBoth sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading21-59984-2019-12-26\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse21-59984-2019-12-26\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tWe were canvassing at Mount Vernon City Fest on a nice September Saturday. Hundreds of people from my city were enjoying the popup vendors, lively music, and positive atmosphere. As people walked down Gramatan Ave., I would engage with them about our campaign. Almost everyone was extremely warm and receptive, but one man became agitated when we spoke to him, raising his voice and cursing about the corrupt politicians that didn't care about people in Mount Vernon. He told me how he had been formerly incarcerated and that, after his release, it had become impossible for him to get a job. He said frustratingly that he sometimes felt as if he had no other option but to go back to illicit activities to survive.<br/><br/>\nI listened to this man and felt his pain. It was a pain that was the product of systemic neglect: pipelines and complexes that gave him little chance to escape and less reason to believe in the fairness of the system. After speaking with him about mass incarceration and job guarantees, he ended up saying he'd look into our campaign and spread the word, even though he never votes. Whomever he votes for is not what's important; what was so impactful was seeing him become willing to re-engage in a political process that has excluded him. Under 10% of people in District 16 turn out for elections because they don't believe engaging in politics will affect their material reality, and, as a result, the ruling class is able to entrench the status quo. The man whom I was speaking to, in that moment, re-entered a working-class movement that existed before and will exist after our campaign. We are happy to join him in the struggle for justice, locally and internationally.<br/></span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1548351761485-0\"><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(\"div-gpt-ad-1548351761485-0\"); });</script></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nAndom Ghebreghiorgis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ghebreghiorgis' responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. I am running for Congress because the progressive people of District-16 are struggling with housing, healthcare, retirement security, and a lack of jobs, but our representative has been more concerned with diverting our public money to endless wars and unnecessary prisons. I'm Andom Ghebreghiorgis, and I grew up in Mount Vernon, NY to parents who emigrated from Eritrea. I have a younger brother and sister and an enormous extended family scattered throughout the world. I attended Lincoln School in Mount Vernon and then Fieldston, in Riverdale, for middle and high school. I graduated from Yale with degrees in Political Science and Economics in 2007. After working at the Robin Hood Foundation, I became a NYC Teaching Fellow in 2009 (I received my Master's in Secondary Special Education at CCNY). I taught MS special education at a renewal school in the Bronx (MS 113) and then was a SPED coordinator/ELA teacher at The Equity Project in Washington Heights. I have written a children's book (Undercover BMX), led workshops on infusing AAVE into English curricula, taught free SAT courses to low-income students, and organized against out-of-school suspensions. Outside of education, I have been active in Eritrean human rights and Palestinian justice spaces. I love playing basketball, flag football, & chess. I am a die-hard Knicks and Giants fan, and same goes for Rangers and Yankees (but I'm not as passionate as I was in the 90s). I also attend a lot of intl. soccer matches! Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Securing economic justice for all people through a federal job guarantee, single-payer Medicare-for-All, affordable housing for all, and greater union power Divesting from the military industrial complex and pursuing new multilateralism necessary for Global Green New Deal Fighting for racial justice by advocating for reparations, ending mass incarceration, abolishing ICE and CBP, and fully-funding 3K-16 public education What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? As a first-generation American of Eritrean descent, as a black person, and as a special education teacher, many of these policy areas have affected me personally: - School-to-Prison Pipeline, Special Education, LGBTQ+ Inclusive Education, School Integration - Global Green New Deal, Foreign Policy of Peace and Decolonization, Immigrant and Refugee Rights, UNSC Reform - Federal Job Guarantee, Homes Guarantee, Medicare for All - Reparations for Black and indigenous Americans - Workplace Democracy Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why? My parents and the Eritrean activists of their generation (born between the 40s and 60s) have always been a personal model. They struggled against seemingly impossible odds to liberate Eritrea and sacrificed so much to do it. Some spent decades on the front, putting off families; others gave up personal/professional ambitions in order to be able to better devote themselves to the cause. My parents, in particular, continued their resistance as immigrants in a foreign land. They were tethered to multiple worlds, fully at home in none, but they had solidarity with all fighting injustice and love for everyone. I know, when they were teenagers, they wouldn't have ever thought that they'd spend nearly their whole lives fighting for a free Eritrea or that they'd only visit their homeland once in the last 50 years. Their optimism, hope, and resilience under these circumstances has always inspired me. Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy? The Black Jacobins Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official? Ability to center and listen to the voices of the historically marginalized and those closest to the struggle Empathy Openness and transparency Ability to reflect critically What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder? I am of the people I seek to represent. I am from the district, and I taught in the district. I have a first-person understanding of what our communities need, and my experiences enable me to articulate that genuinely. My own personal history informed my unyielding commitment to fighting for the rights of and justice for all people. WEB Du Bois spoke about being black in America as having a \"double-consciousness,\" and I can say growing up as the black American child of Eritrean immigrants that I felt a triple-consciousness. There can be extreme trauma and difficulty in growing up and living in America as a first-generation black person: from cultural dislocation to coming to terms with a white supremacist history of exploitation. The fact that many immigrant parents don't have language or awareness to help us navigate the problems of race and racism here can exacerbate our struggle. But there is also a blessing that comes from being racialized into marginalization: the opportunity and necessity for radical empathy. Even if they were not all directly my histories, I felt the pain of slavery, segregation, racism, genocide, and colonialism in me as a black person. I knew how hypocritical it would be for me to, even latently, support any system of oppression, when I understood the feeling of being oppressed myself. I certainly don't believe blackness or a group's history of marginalization is a prerequisite for radical empathy, but, for me, this understanding helped me unpack my own privilege at a young age, helped me stand in solidarity with other oppressed groups, and helped serve as a foundation for my own activism and work in education. It bestowed upon me a liberatory politics that critiqued and questioned a status quo built on and sustained by imperialism, racism, heteropatriarchy, and economic exploitation, and affirmed that the artifice of stability should never preclude people's right to freedom, equality, and justice. What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office? Representing the constituency is the primary responsibility for the person elected to this office. Constituents need to be heard, and it is our responsibility to listen to their concerns, be present for them in the community, and develop a team to help address the needs of the district as a whole as we advocate for social justice. It's also our responsibility to engage the district, keep constituents informed, and maintain a dialogue with the community. Organizing around issues is how we will work with our constituency to develop legislation that impacts the district and its residents. What legacy would you like to leave? That we fought to dismantle the structures that keep people in poverty and struggled for justice for working people and historically marginalized groups What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time? I remember the 1992 Presidential Election just because of Ross Perot. I guess they would make fun of his ears on TV, and, as a 2nd grader at the time, it was the only funny thing that came out of my parents' nightly news-watching. In school, when friends would joke with each other, they'd sometimes compare one's ears to Ross Perot as a \"diss.\" It's a really odd first political memory. Less random, and more politically significant, I remember the celebrations for Eritrea's independence in 1993. Also that same year, I remember the World Trade Center Bombing. What was your very first job? How long did you have it? I was a camp counselor for 2 months. What is your favorite book? Why? Unfair question...how to choose?! The book that had the greatest impact on me - during my formative, teenage years - is The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Growing up in America, we internalize so much anti-blackness. For me, Malcolm X was the antidote to the identity complexes I had subconsciously struggled with for the better part of my 15 years at that point. This was not because I agreed with everything Malcolm X said or did in the book, but it was very empowering to feel like you were in the shoes of someone who, in the face of virulent, murderous white supremacy, was unabashedly black. It countered the dominant narrative that we had been fed through media-propagated stereotypes and Eurocentric curricula that excluded our histories. Additionally, Malcolm X represented the redemptive possibility of humanity. He went from prison to one of the most respected Black Americans ever. He preached a dogmatic fundamentalism and then admitted he was wrong. He made mistakes and tried to learn from them, which is, at minimum, what we should all be trying to do. He was always trying to do better: for himself, for all of us. Unfortunately, he was never given a full shot. If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be? Anansi the spider What was the last song that got stuck in your head? Toast by Koffee What is something that has been a struggle in your life? Quality sleep What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution? The power to initiate revenue bills The power to initiate impeachment proceedings The committee system Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics? Political experience as a prerequisite for office is a double-edged sword. While serving in government may help a candidate understand how to navigate various systems, prior government experience may also blind representatives from honestly serving their constituents and connecting with them in an authentic way. My experiences as a teacher have prepared me well to lead my district in the years ahead. Teachers see the frontline impact that government policy can have on a classroom, a community, and student's life. Teachers are capable of anything. Not only do we manage 35 teenagers in an underfunded classroom every second of every day, but we get our young people to believe in themselves when the world has told them they shouldn't. As a special education teacher, I have had to demystify education for many of my students, who may come into my 8th grade class on a 2ndgrade reading level. They've been failed every step of the way. Their challenge is real, and our job as teachers is to create a plan in concert with them and a whole host of diverse stakeholders in the community - social workers, parents, families, sports coaches, religious leaders, community-based organizations - to ensure their success. This is exactly what I will be doing in Congress for communities that have been underserved and disinvested from for too long, communities that don't see a way out, and for a country that has as little faith in government as my students did in school. What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade? Fascism White Supremacy Climate Change Income Inequality American Exceptionalism Reproductive Justice If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of? Foreign Affairs Education and Labor Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives? No, two years is too short. It feels like congressional representatives spend more time fundraising and campaigning than anything else. We should add a year or two to their terms. What are your thoughts on term limits? I support term limits. Representatives should not be serving more than twelve years in one office, let alone 30. Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after? Thaddeus Stevens Barbara Lee Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful? We were canvassing at Mount Vernon City Fest on a nice September Saturday. Hundreds of people from my city were enjoying the popup vendors, lively music, and positive atmosphere. As people walked down Gramatan Ave., I would engage with them about our campaign. Almost everyone was extremely warm and receptive, but one man became agitated when we spoke to him, raising his voice and cursing about the corrupt politicians that didn't care about people in Mount Vernon. He told me how he had been formerly incarcerated and that, after his release, it had become impossible for him to get a job. He said frustratingly that he sometimes felt as if he had no other option but to go back to illicit activities to survive. I listened to this man and felt his pain. It was a pain that was the product of systemic neglect: pipelines and complexes that gave him little chance to escape and less reason to believe in the fairness of the system. After speaking with him about mass incarceration and job guarantees, he ended up saying he'd look into our campaign and spread the word, even though he never votes. Whomever he votes for is not what's important; what was so impactful was seeing him become willing to re-engage in a political process that has excluded him. Under 10% of people in District 16 turn out for elections because they don't believe engaging in politics will affect their material reality, and, as a result, the ruling class is able to entrench the status quo. The man whom I was speaking to, in that moment, re-entered a working-class movement that existed before and will exist after our campaign. We are happy to join him in the struggle for justice, locally and internationally.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}]