October Membership Meeting
The Breakfast Group's October Monthly Member Meeting will be held October 9th (7:30 a.m. - 9;00 a.m.), at the First A.M.E. Church: 1522 14th Avenue, Seattle Washington 98122.
Please arrive promptly, in order to engage in networking and conversation with the candidates and fellow members prior to the meeting as we have a tight agenda for Thursday.
The October monthly meeting is a Candidate's Forum which focuses on key political issues important to our community. This month we will address two issues: 1.) Pre-K Funding: Rosalinda Aguirre from the American Federation of Teachers will speak on Proposition 1A ("Yes for Early Success") and Council Member Bruce Harrellwill speak on Proposition 1B (Quality Pre-K for Our Kids"), and 2.) the 37th District Senate Race: Pramila Jayapal and Louis Watanabe will speak.
Louis Watanabe
Mr. Watanabe is committed to social and economic justice for the 37th Legislative District. His family once farmed along the Green River and travelled through the district to sell vegetables at Pike Place Market. During the Second World War, Louis’ parents, who were born American citizens, were sent away to camps behind barbed wire because they looked like the enemy. With over 20 deaths in the district in the last few months, Louis has spoken out on the growing gun violence due to lack of jobs and investment by failed leadership. He is a college professor, community leader, entrepreneur and small business counselor with over 20 years experience in Economic Development.
Louis’s endorsements within the 37th LD include: Seattle City Councilmember andBreakfast Group member Bruce Harrell, Seattle School Board member Betty Patu, former State Representative Dawn Mason, former Seattle City Councilmember Dolores Sibonga, former Seattle City Councilmember Richard Conlin, and former Renton City Councilmember King Parker.
You may learn more about Mr. Watanabe's campaign at his website.
Pramila Jayapal
Mrs. Jayapal has been a Civil, human and immigrant rights activist for 20 years. She has lived in the district for 19 years. She founded and ran the largest immigrant advocacy organization in the state (OneAmerica) after 9/11 to address the fact that Muslims, Africans and South Asians were being targeted by the federal government. She has been a leader on police accountability for the last 10 years, including her work to help bring the Department of Justice (DOJ) into Seattle to investigate biased policing, ending in a settlement agreement.
She Co-Chaired the Mayor's Police Chief Search Committee with Ron Sims. Mrs. Jayapal served on the Income Inequality Committee that secured the agreement to raise the minimum wage for 100,000 workers to $15/hour. She is a proud mother of a 17-year old son who is a senior at Garfield High School. Mrs. Jayapal has been endorsed by the Seattle Times, King County Labor Council, the Washington State Labor Council, County Councilmember and Breakfast Group member Larry Gossett, Ron Sims, Sen. Patty Murray and many others.
You may learn more about Mrs. Jayapal's campaign at her website.
