Shay White is looking to make history in Oklahoma, becoming the first woman -- and the first African-American -- to hold a seat in the state legislature.
She hopes she can use her relatability to her advantage.
“The biggest unifying factor is that I am a voter from my district,” White told Cheddar in an interview. “I live here, I shop here, I worship here, and I contribute here.”
Like her potential constituents, White says, “sometimes I have to make a tough decision [of whether] I buy gasoline or groceries.” She says she wants to provide a voice to working families in her area.
White is one of many women jumping into the electoral fray since 2016’s presidential elections. Nearly 400 are reportedly running for the U.S. House of Representatives this year -- the most in U.S. history -- and 22 are non-incumbent black women.
But White’s campaign has nothing to do with that movement. She told Cheddar she’s wanted to run since age 12.
The twenty-six-year-old elementary school mental health provider has a prevalent presence in her community. Besides being a woman’s rights supporter, the District 77 candidate holds a leadership position within Together Oklahoma, a grassroots education and advocacy group.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-womens-march-to-elected-office).
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, June 21, 2019.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn focused on his district and uplifting rural communities with a plan to build up broadband infrastructure
Three years since the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) is working to strengthen the government's ability to track violence against the LGBTQ community in an effort to combat the enduring epidemic.
*From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.*
Rising tensions with Iran and a oil refinery fire in Philadelphia are threatening to send prices higher at American gas pumps.
Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and other members of Congress want to question Facebook on its latest project launching a cryptocurrency called Libra.
Sen. Josh Hawley’s bill to hold major tech companies responsible for content published on their platforms is finding no love. The legislation, which is aimed to punishing tech companies for their supposed censorship of conservative voices, is being criticized by free speech advocates for potentially increasing censorship and by politicians from both sides of the aisle who view the bill as gross example of government overreach.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, June 20, 2019.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, June 19, 2019.
New York legislative supporters of legalized marijuana are making a last-minute effort to push through a bill that would make recreational marijuana legal in the state.
