Miscellaneous
Mondaire Jones would be the first black and openly gay member of Congress in United States history. He's also a bonafide progressive, supporting policies like Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and tuition-free public college. Mondaire Jones, educated at Stanford University, graduated from Harvard Law School, served in the Obama Department of Justice, and now candidate for the open House seat in New York's 17th congressional district, is more than just a resume. Endorsed by AOC and Bernie Sanders, Jones joined Nathan and Sam on the Millennial Politics Podcast this week to discuss his upbringing and the things that distinguish him from other candidates in the primary race. Jones also tied his background to the policies he supports, touching on the need for tuition free college, a federal $15 minimum wage, and universal childcare, to name a few. "Unlike the people we're used to seeing in our politics, I don't come from money or a political family. I grew up in Section 8 Housing and on food stamps, and I was raised by a young single mom." Additionally, he spoke at length about America's criminal justice system and how it needs to be radically reimagined. Jones also said that we must have a broader conception of systemic racism, including how things like public education and healthcare are structured in a way that disproportionately hurt African-Americans. But he couldn't leave it all to doom and gloom; he ended on a positive note, arguing that the recent protests give him hope because of how passionate young people are about racial injustice and that this really feels like a true moment for change.