There is less than a month left before the 2024 elections on November 5! There are so many great progressive candidates who are running, and it is a shame we won’t be able to profile all of them. Many of them are first-time candidates, including the one we are profiling today.

Sade Elhawary (she/her) is a millennial activist and high school history teacher. A graduate of UCLA and Harvard, Sade served as a prominent member of Karen Bass’s successful election campaign to be mayor of Los Angeles. At age 28, she traveled the world, visiting 28 countries - one for each year of her age. As a Black and Latina community activist, Sade is most passionate about unifying Black and Brown people to combat white supremacy, and fight for racial equity and economic justice. As a proud member of the LGBTQ community, she promotes the queer community's resilience and political struggle for liberation. Sade is promoting healthcare for all (including reproductive and mental health), providing educational and employment opportunities for young people, and criminal justice reform in her campaign.

Where are you based?
South Central Los Angeles.

What is your position/what position are you running for?
I am running for California State Assembly District 57, encompassing Skid Row, Downtown LA, South Central, and Watts.

How would you briefly summarize your platform?
I am running for office because I intend to author and champion legislation that expands racial equity, safety, justice, and the dignity of everyday folks.

What inspired you to run?
I was, without question, emboldened by the leaked audio recordings from City Hall in October 2022. I remember exactly where I was, what I was doing, and who sent the text when I first heard the news. As a community organizer dedicated to multiracial solidarity, hearing leaders disparaging a Black toddler, immigrants, and other leaders for being “with the Blacks” was like a betrayal. Our people deserve better.

What change are you hoping to bring to your district and country?
In my district, more than 82% of residents are Black or Brown, and at least 80% have an annual household income of no more than $50,000. My district includes South Los Angeles where the long-term economic and environmental consequences of historic redlining are experienced daily. I will put their needs first in Sacramento, bringing progressive policies and substantive resources to the district. By the end of my time in the state legislature, I hope to truly shift the narrative around mental health supports and expand access to treatment and services.

Tell me about your history of activism. What do you consider to be your major accomplishments so far?
One of my earliest memories of political activism is when I was 18-years-old and formed the Teen Advisory Board of Adelante Mujer Latina, which then sponsored me to take a delegation of young Latinas to the State Capitol for Latina Action Day. It sparked my traveling all over the country to engage in elections and volunteer for progressive candidates — from recruiting other UCLA students to join me in canvassing in Las Vegas for Obama and again in 2012 with a delegation of organizers from South Los Angeles, and then traveling to Arizona during the pandemic to support both the Biden/Harris and Senator Mark Kelly campaigns to win back the White House and Senate. One of my most memorable moments was flying to DC on my own for President Barack Obama’s first inauguration when I was 21!

My most recent accomplishments include:

Youth-Centered Dialogues around Racial Solidarity: planned and implemented the curriculum for high school students – and a separate group of millennials and Gen Z – to lead dialogues related to their experiences around race to build solidarity, and executed the Alliance Youth Day of Action with over 150 youth and community partners, all 12 professional sports teams in Los Angeles (from the Lakers and Kings to Angel City and the Rams), and law enforcement to improve relationships among these groups.
Community Center in South Central LA: At CoCo, I helped spearhead fundraising efforts that brought in $12 million, and helped to identify the site, local architect, and worked with the community to design the Center for Community Organizing, dedicated to training activists for the social justice movement.
Wellness Center & Garden on a HS Campus: I have been involved with Fremont High School Wellness Center & Community Garden since its inception, partnering with student leaders and community organizations on its launch. The Wellness Center includes a health clinic created to address health disparities in local neighborhoods.

What do you feel are the most important issues right now, why, and how do you plan to tackle them?

First and foremost, our folks are on the streets — we must deliver on the commitment that housing is a human right. I believe in the Housing First model and will fight to get people housed as soon as possible and create measures to prevent folks from slipping into homelessness to begin with.
A lack of access to health care — I want to pass universal healthcare, making sure we build into our universal health care the provision for comprehensive reproductive care, mental health care, and substance use treatment.
We aren’t investing enough in our young people — improving outcomes through investments in public K-12 education, debt-free higher education, the development of youth workforce programs, combating climate change, and criminal legal reform.

America is extremely divided these days. How would you hope to bridge that divide with your constituents to better unite Americans?
I represent the next generation of leaders — as a unifier. I will continue doing the work I have done for years building Black-Brown solidarity and developing coalitions across age, ethnicities, and socioeconomic groups, and in practice, relying on these coalitions to shape how my office pushes forward. This district is different because everything we need lies in solidarity — this is about building political power for both Black and Brown folks. As Assemblywoman, building a kitchen cabinet for my office that includes leadership and members of key organizations, community-based organizations, and activists representing underserved populations will be a key priority of mine.

How do you see your unique identity and background to be an asset to you in office?
Everything I am and everything I stand for will be an asset to this office because I know what my people are going through. I understand the struggles of renters. I know what it means to be in the classroom, working with students, while also fighting for the right to a livable wage. As a Black and Latina woman, I understand both the unique struggles facing each community, and what ultimately should be uniting us. As a foster mom, I understand how the foster system falls short. I understand the struggles facing LGBTQ youth. I understand the struggles immigrants and undocumented folks face and the hoops they have to jump through. In the end, that’s what it's about. Understanding the people you are representing, and fighting for what they actually need, not what sounds the best or serves your own best interests.

What is your motto in life?
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou

At the end of the day, I want people to remember “how I made them feel,” like Maya Angelou says. I want young people, especially, to feel empowered, celebrated, and loved.

Where can we find out more about you?

a. sadeforassembly.com

b. Instagram: @sadeelhawary

c. LA Times

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Sade Elhawary, California State Assembly District 57