2020 Election Profile: Meghan Kallman, RI State Senate District 15
Friday, August 07, 2020
Meet Meghan Kallman who is running for election in Senate District 15 (Pawtucket).
Read what she has to say about why she is running for office.
This is part of an ongoing series by GoLocal featuring each of the candidates for House and Senate.
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1. What do you think is the biggest political issue this campaign season in Rhode Island?
COVID-19 has shown us both where our strengths lie as a community, and where our weaknesses are. This, compounded with the dramatic racial inequalities, means that we have a huge opportunity to build more resilient and inclusive systems. How to do that is the biggest campaign issue of this season. Specifically--coronavirus has shown us how much we rely on people who earn the least and who have the fewest protections--at the grocery register, driving the bus, caring for the elderly, cleaning hospitals. I believe everyone has the right to a living wage and benefits like paid sick time. If there were ever an argument for universal healthcare, a pandemic is it: stopping the pandemic requires care for everyone, not just those with insurance. Our healthcare system—built on profit, rather than people’s wellbeing—has been unprepared to face COVID, and our Black and Latino neighbors are bearing the greatest burden. It's straightforward to point out systemic challenges; creating systemic solutions is the work of time, a great deal of effort, and collaboration. I entered the race because we need to get down to business, I’m willing to do that work.
2. What do we need to do to improve Rhode Island's economy?
In the immediate term, we can’t have this conversation separate from conversations about the impacts of COVID, as record numbers of Rhode Islanders have lost their jobs and/or are facing evictions. We need massive public investment in infrastructure, small business, higher education, and on issues like housing. In fact, a recent study that looked at lots of different cities found that when cities build affordable or workforce housing, jobs are apt to follow - and so solving our housing crisis is one of the smartest economic moves we can make. I am 100% supportive of the Governor’s offshore wind initiative and similar programs, that prioritize both jobs and a transition to renewables.
3. What is the greatest challenge facing Rhode Island as a state?
I actually think that Rhode Island has everything it needs to succeed - we are a coastal community with a strong history of manufacturing, strong higher education presence, and a tight-knit community. We need to be bold. We have urgent problems to solve: a runaway climate crisis that we’ll feel first because we’re so coastal, thousands of families affected by COVID (both economically and physically), and a shortage of housing and community supports. Our greatest challenge is that we need to shed our fears and step into bold, visionary leadership and problem-solving. But we can solve them! Focusing on these critical issues - education, housing, healthcare, jobs, climate - is only part of what Pawtucket and North Providence need. We need to boldly and bravely build a fair system that gives people a fair shake.
4. Why are you running for office? What makes you uniquely qualified?
I am running for State Senate because I believe that Pawtucket’s diversity is our strength. I believe we are a better, healthier community when we embrace everyone who wants to participate, and when we look for new ways to engage each other. I believe that our best decisions are made together. I am committed to bringing the visions, hopes, and concerns of the people of Pawtucket and North Providence to the State House. It’s going to take all of us, collaborating, to build a strong and resilient Rhode Island.
In concrete terms, though: I defeated an incumbent to serve on the city council in 2016, and it has been my pleasure and honor to serve Pawtucket as the Ward 5 councilor for two terms. That policymaking experience is part of what qualifies me to do this job well. I earn my living as a professor, teaching about organizations and community development--my day job is to think about constructive solutions to community problems, as that is another part of what qualifies me to do this job. I’m a longtime community organizer, a musician, and someone who is deeply committed to representing my constituents fairly, and growing alongside them.
5. Who is your inspiration?
I hold on to the words of Ella Baker, an organizer and civil rights activist, who talked about the Beloved Community: the idea that a loving and fair world is built on economic and social justice. In other words, it’s not enough to just love our neighbors - we need to build fair communities and systems that help each other to thrive.
Biography:
I come from a family of hard-working and fun-loving people. My mother, Beth, taught biology in the public schools in New Hampshire where I was born, and my father, Seth, built septic systems. I grew up in a rambunctious blended family of siblings and step-siblings; I attended public high school and started waiting tables when I was fourteen.
A longtime community organizer, I originally moved to Pawtucket when I was attending graduate school. I graduated from Smith College, and I have a MA from the University of Chicago, and a PhD from Brown. I now work as a professor at UMass Boston, in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development, as well as at the School of Professional Studies at Brown University. I am active in union leadership at the University, and I have also taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and the RI Adult Correctional Institutions.
My campaign so far has been endorsed by:
Planned Parenthood Votes! RI, the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council, SEIU 1199, the Working Families Party, the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the Substance Use Policy, Education, and Recovery PAC, the RI Democratic Women’s Caucus, the Young Democrats, and Sunrise RI.
Campaign Website: https://electmeghan.com/
Twitter: @MeghanEKallman
Instagram: meghan.kallman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElectMeghanKallman
Contact: [email protected]
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