Why I'm Running
Hatito (hello), my name is Brittany Hall, and seventeen years ago I chose Lawrence to be my home. A home I never had. I chose Lawrence because it represented all the things I believed in: equality, expression, and potential.
Remembering Those Forgotten
My Shawnee people were repeatedly forced to move from our historic homelands in the Ohio River Valley beginning in the 18th century and culminating in two forced removals from our reservations in Missouri in 1825 and Ohio in 1831-2 to our new Reservation in Kansas. After rebuilding yet once again in Kansas and remaining loyal to the US by enlisting and fighting for the Union during the Civil War, many of our families returned home to find their livestock stolen and homes occupied by their frontier neighbors. This resulted in our many of our families once again forced to relocate, this time to Northeastern Oklahoma in 1869. Because of this history, it is easy to understand the generational trauma and despair it created in many of our families.
My father abandoned my mother when he found out she was pregnant with me. I know what it means to be left behind. To be forgotten.
We have to break the cycle of letting people be forgotten. Inflation, housing costs, the complete lack of a mental healthcare safety net— all of these factors are wreaking havoc on our neighbors. We must help them.
You never know when it will be you who is asking for help. Together, we can build a community that supports everyone, that represents everyone, and that breaks the cycle of letting people slip through the cracks.
A Better Future
I came from a background that seemed to set me up for failure. My father ran away when he found out my mother was pregnant, and my mother was an addict. And while I'm immensely proud of, and grateful for, my Native and Mexican heritage, the system was not made for someone like me to succeed. But I tried my hardest, and I leaned on friends and family around me, and I found my home. Lawrence welcomed me in and allowed me to build a life I never thought possible. I have a career here. I have my wonderful son, Mateo. I have a future here. And now I have a responsibility to make sure Mateo, and everyone else here in Lawrence, has a chance to chase their dream. I want to break the cycle of poverty, of addiction, of repression. And I want to work with every citizen of Lawrence to do it, because it takes all of us.
An Equal Playing Field
Every single person deserves to have an equal chance at success, regardless of race, sex, identity, or religion. The Kansas Legislature is less than 30% female, and there is only one Native legislator. The system is not built to represent people like me, like you. People are struggling to get by; housing costs are soaring in Lawrence, and too little is being done to help our neighbors who have fallen behind.
A broken system demands correction. It demands a swell of people, representing every background, declaring their voices. The voice of the people must be heard in the legislative chambers in Topeka.
"All political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and are instituted for their equal protection and benefit." These are the words from Kansas' Bill of Rights, and this is what we, as Kansans, should demand. The power of democracy comes from us. So let's shape it into what it should be: an inclusive, kind, and effective representation of the diversity of Lawrence.
And yes, we need to expand Medicaid.
And on the streets of Lawrence, speaking with voters like you.
See you out there!
Niyaawe (Thank you),
Brittany