September 5th 2023.
History could be made today for Afro-Latina Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos. With the voting in the Democratic primary for the 1st congressional district underway to replace seven-term Democrat, U.S. Representative David Cicilline, Matos is among the 11 viable candidates vying for the seat.
If she wins, Rhode Island could make history by sending “its first person of color to the U.S. House and give Congress its first Afro-Latina,” according to Essence.
Before becoming lieutenant governor, Matos served as a councilwoman on the Providence City Council, the first Latina to hold the position of City Council President Pro Tempore in 2015, and in 2019, she was elected city council president by her peers.
Matos has attributed her opportunity to achieve success to the “strong democracy” in the United States. She recalled her experience working in a factory and learning English after immigrating to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic, and having the chance to “go to college, get a degree and represent [her] community and become an elected official.”
The Lieutenant Governor shared the details of her campaign with Essence, revealing that she was initially hesitant about running for office. That changed one day when she listened to Stacey Abram’s audiobook, Leading From the Outside, while traveling to a Black History Month celebration at the White House.
“There’s a real, tangible experience that I bring to Congress….This is the moment that needed me to step up,” Matos said.
Matos also expressed her concerns about democracy, saying, “I feel that we’re taking that for granted. Democracy is too important. And we need to fight.” As a wife and mother, Matos spoke about the need for “a strong voice for women’s rights” in Washington and “making sure that abortion is protected at the federal level.”
Most of all, she hopes to go to Washington to create a better future for her daughter where she has more rights than people have now.
Today, as the votes are being cast, we could be witnessing history in the making. If Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos is voted in, it would be the first time a person of color and Afro-Latina is sent to the U.S. House and Congress.
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