On this week’s episode, Rita Harris, State Representative from Florida talks with me about the absurd laws being pushed through in the state and where the focus should really be. Rita also talks about the Florida she wants to see.
You’ll hear:
More about Rita:
Rita Harris is the State Representative for Florida House District 44. In addition to being a public servant, she is a mother, an advocate, an activist, and a twenty-year resident of her community. Rita started activism at Planned Parenthood when she was in high school. As a theater kid, she worked with other teens to develop skits to perform at high schools that dealt with everything from safe sex to drunk driving.
Her journey back into activism started in 2017. Rita’s daughter had just started college, so she was deciding what I wanted to do in my next chapter in life - she could go back to school or back to work, but Trump had just been elected, and the threat to our values and way of life was very real. As a wife to a Black man and mother to a biracial Black child, she was horrified by the blatant racism, and feared for their safety, so Rita rolled up her sleeves and got to work with the goal of electing as many Democrats as possible in 2018. She became the events chair for the Orange County Democrats and founded the Democratic Women's Club of South Orange County. Eventually, sheI was elected the Vice-Chair of the Orange County Democratic Party.
In August of 2022, Rita was elected to office for the first time. She is grateful to serve the great people of District 44 and can't wait to go back to Tallahassee to continue to serve with dedication and hard work. As one of the few people of Jewish descent in the Florida House of Representatives Rita knows that Representation matters. As someone who has struggled with money, she knows what it's like to be unable to afford childcare or pay for medication one week at a time because of the extreme costs of prescription drugs..
This district includes Universal, International Drive, Seaworld, and the Orlando airport. COVID has exposed cracks in our system - the people that work at these economic engines should be able to afford to live here, have access to affordable housing, and earn fair wages with benefits and paid time off.
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Connect with Rep. Harris: https://twitter.com/RitaForFlorida/media
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