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Emilia knows EVERYONE should have access to quality and affordable health care. That’s why she’s leading the fight to declare racism a public health crisis in Ohio. And it’s why she works every day to expand health care coverage and reduce infant mortality in her state.

.@EmiliaSykesOH is not only an activist — she’s also an effective legislator. Her bill to grant life-saving protections to domestic violence survivors passed the Ohio legislature and was signed into law in 2018.

And her work to help survivors didn’t stop there. She’s continued to be an outspoken advocate for domestic violence survivors who’ve had to cope with abusive households during Ohio’s stay-at-home order.

Being a young, powerful Black woman serving in the legislature hasn’t been without its setbacks. Emilia was once stopped by security while entering the Ohio House because “she didn’t look like a legislator.” (Spoiler alert: her white male colleague didn’t have the same problem.)

Women like Emilia are changing the definition of what a “legislator looks like.” Black women are serving their constituents courageously in state legislatures, mayor’s offices, and city councils across the country. And they have bright futures ahead of them.