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Ayanna Pressley honored by Emily’s List

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Ayanna Pressley honored by Emily’s List
City Councilor Ayanna Pressley will be presented with the 2015 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award.

EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, announced City Councilor Ayanna Pressley will be presented with the 2015 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award. Former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords will present Pressley with the award at the EMILY’s List 30th Anniversary Gala on March 3.

The Rising Star Award celebrates an extraordinary woman serving in state or local office. The award honors women who demonstrate the sort of commitment to community, dedication to women and families, and determination and civility that have been the highlights Giffords’ career, in and out of office.

“As the first woman of color elected to Boston City Council, Ayanna Pressley has worked to be a voice for all Bostonians. She has demonstrated a deep commitment to promoting healthy, safe communities where all women and families have a fair shot,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’s List.

“This is a humbling and extraordinary honor, particularly because of the profound respect I have for Gabrielle Giffords and for the steadfast efforts of EMILY’s List to support pro-choice women,” Pressley said.

In 2009, Ayanna Pressley made history as the first woman of color ever elected to the City Council. In 2011, she made history again by becoming the first person of color to top the ticket. Pressley founded the Committee on Women & Healthy Communities, which focuses on issues unique to girls and women and addresses community destabilization. She has earned national attention for her work with survivors of violence, on teen parenting and sexual health education.

EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, recruitS and trains women candidates, supports strong campaigns, researches women’s issues and turns out women voters. It has trained more than 9,000 women to run, and helped elect over 100 women to the House, 19 to the Senate, 11 governors, and over 700 to state and local office. Since its founding in 1985, almost one-third of the candidates EMILY’s List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color — including every single Latina, African American, and Asian American Democratic Congresswoman currently serving.