Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Chibuihe Asonye, Illinois's 13th Congressional District

Chibuihe Asonye (she/her/hers) is a Gen Z Chicago native and University of Ilinois graduate (2018) who currently works as a resident advisor at the university. Chibu is running as a Green Party candidate in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District. Because she fell short of the required 12,000 signatures to appear on the ballot in the November election, Chibu is now running as a write-in candidate. A Nigerian-American and youngest of four, Chibu is passionate about election reform and the wellbeing of her community.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Kerene Moore, Michigan 15th District Court

Kerene Moore (she/her) is a queer social justice attorney with over 15 years of legal and public service experience. She is currently the Director of Conviction Integrity at the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office. She previously served as a juvenile referee and judicial attorney in the Washtenaw County Circuit Court, and as an administrative law examiner with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. She started her career at Legal Services of South Central Michigan where she provided free representation to over 1,000 under resourced clients. In 2014, she also founded Outreach, a pro bono LGBTQ+ advocacy project with University of Michigan law students. Throughout her career, she has served on the committees and boards of several organizations including the Jim Toy Community Center, Equality Michigan, Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, and the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission. She has also served as co-chair of the LGBTQ+ Law Section of the Washtenaw County Bar Association and is the incoming chair of the State Bar of Michigan’s LGBTQ+ Law Section. Kerene is passionate about increasing access to justice to people from all walks of life, supporting treatment courts, ensuring that crime victims are receiving support, and actively reducing systemic bias in our courts.

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

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.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - DeShanna Neal, Delaware House of Representatives District 13

This week we are profiling DeShanna Neal (she/they), a single mother of four who is an LGBTQ+ rights activist and Democratic Socialist Delaware State Representative. Elected in 2022, they ran on a platform focusing on mental health, the environment, and the legalization of marijuana; this year their focus is on Accessibility for all, Maternal Healthcare for Incarcerated Women, and LGBTQ+ rights. DeShanna is the author of the children’s book My Rainbow, about their transgender daughter, and they are the co-organizer and creator of New Castle County's first ever LGBTQ Youth Pride Festival, as well as, Delaware's first Drag Queen Story Hour. They have a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix (UoPX), and just recently graduated with a master’s degree from Wilmington University (WilmU).

Promoting Kindness With Sydney Brett

New York-based model Sydney Brett is preventing bullying one workshop at a time. Through Sydney’s non-profit organization “Stronger Than You Think,” she implements anti-bullying and mental health education for youth. Sydney's mission is to stop hate at its core, especially as a victim of childhood bullying due to her struggle with dyslexia. Sydney’s curriculum is crucially needed in a world where social media can be the root of insecurities for many impressionable children coming to terms with their identities. If you are interested in Sydney’s work in the modeling industry, her amazing non-profit, or her hope for this generation, please continue reading the interview below!

Take A Step Forward With Mike Gauyo

Los Angeles-based Haitian writer Mike Gauyo is making it his mission to build creative opportunities for POC youth. You can thank Mike for hit series like "Insecure" and "Ginny & Georgia. Mike not only sees the importance of sharing his perspective as a Black gay Haitian immigrant, but also explores outside of his comfort zone to bring new narratives to life. To align with his values of making the writing industry more accessible to people of color, Mike founded Black Boy Writes/Black Girl Writes to connect young Black writers with industry professionals. Through Mike’s amazing program, students can receive mentorship from established writers like Amy Aniobi, Morgan Cooper, and Kemp Powers. If you are interested in Mike Gauyo’s efforts to create a more inclusive Hollywood, his newest show “Send Help”, or his experience with writing some of America’s favorite series please continue reading the interview below!

Temple Lester: The STEM Prodigy

Temple Lester is an Atlanta-based STEM prodigy. 14-year-old Temple is devoted to introducing those who lack representation to the STEM field. She was all too familiar with being one of the only minorities and women in STEM, now her mission is to change that. Not only did she create STEM Girl Swag and STEM Swag Box, both ways to get the youth engaged, but she has successfully exposed more than 100,000 youth through science workshops and social media. Temple takes action! Temple also interacts with seasoned masters of the STEM field such as Dr. Siam Proctor, the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft. She wishes to pass on that knowledge to the youth through fun and engaging activities curated by no other than Temple. The excellence does not stop there! Temple was nominated for the 2nd annual “Kid of The Year” Nickelodeon Awards. As an entrepreneur and leader Temple is sure to make a change! If you would like to know how, please continue reading this interview starring Temple Lester!

Swagg R'Celious Has Us on Cloud 19

Swagg R’Celious is a Grammy Award winning music producer, having earned that honor for his work on the album H.E.R. by H.E.R., but his influence doesn’t stop there. Swagg also helped produce Kehlani’s debut mixtape Cloud 19, which had a huge impact on R&B today. He ultimately works as a visionary, helping artists define their sound and songwriting. In his conversation with Jejune, we learn that Swagg R’Celious is also a mentor and advocate for Black Youth in the music industry. He is a a professor at both Berklee College of Music and NYU, where he has set out to become the professor that he has always wanted growing up, a conduct between real life experience and the classroom. Swagg R’Celious recently became an ambassador for the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective, which aims to build trust and empower Black artists, creatives and music executives. Through his work as an ambassador, he is able to provide insight and input on how Black artists are represented at the Recording Academy. Continue reading our interview with Swagg R’Celious to learn more about his background, his work on H.E.R. and Cloud 19, and some upcoming projects that he has coming up!