Maryland currently has eight representatives serving in the United States House of Representatives, seven of whom are men. Female incumbent, Donna Edwards, is not seeking re-election in 2016 and is, instead, seeking election to Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat, creating a timely opportunity for a new and incredibly capable female candidate to potentially take that seat: Lisa Ransom.
Lisa R. Ransom is a coalition builder and tireless advocate for women, families and vulnerable communities. Raised in a family of public servants, the daughter of a WWII and Korean War veteran, Ransom is committed to improving lives in her community and building collaborative efforts with labor unions, faith-based organizations, consumer and civil rights groups, educators, and Marylanders on social and economic issues.
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Ransom was elected in 1994 as the first African American woman to hold office in Montgomery County, Maryland, winning an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee. However, her political career began much earlier under the influence of her grandfather, Representative Augustus F. Hawkins, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
She served as a Congressional staff member for 12 years for Reps. Hawkins, Maxine Waters and John W. Oliver, where she was responsible for various domestic, legislative issues, constituent casework and special projects. Ransom’s three decade career includes owning her own consulting firm, giving her first-hand experience in the challenges and successes faced by small businesses. She is the former director of public policy for the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, where she addressed equity gaps in career and technical education and STEM programs for women, communities of color, and vulnerable communities. She was the vice president of federal affairs, and senior legislative associate for state affairs, for the Center for Responsible Lending. Ransom is the former senior director of state action networks for the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) where she worked on policy with state legislators around the country. As part of her tenure at CPA, she became the second non-elected fellow of the Arthur S. Flemming Leadership Institute for State Legislators.
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In Maryland, Ransom serves on the Bowie Economic Development Committee, and is a former member of the board of directors for the Bethune-DuBois Institute and Hopes for Higher Education. She is a member of Washington Government Relations Group, the Continental Societies, Inc., Prince George’s County Chapter, Petals on the Potomac, and the Order of the Eastern Star—Prince Hall Affiliate. Ransom is affiliated with the NAACP, National Council of Negro Women, and National Organization for Women, American Association of University Women, National Association of State Directors in Career and Technical Education, and the Association of Career and Technical Education. She is also chair and CEO of the Augustus F. Hawkins Foundation.
BlackEnterprise.com caught up with this Marylander to discuss all things leadership, and how her platform will help provide a better future for Marylanders.
BlackEnterprise.com: Your ‘families first’ platform suggests that you are completely committed to championing issues affecting Maryland families. Can you elaborate?
Ransom: I firmly believe that a nation is only as strong as the spirit of its people — and we are a resilient people. I’m running for the 4th congressional district of Maryland to address the real-life social and economic challenges facing Maryland families; challenges that hinder access to opportunities that build prosperity for Marylanders now and tomorrow. Every Marylander should have the opportunity to:
– Receive a quality education in a good public school.
– Secure a stable, living wage job.
– Have a decent and affordable home.
– Raise a middle-class family.
– Have a secure retirement.
Thanks for elaborating. Recently, the candidate roster has expanded and it’s a little noisy out there. What distinguishes you from the other candidates that would help voters cut through the noise?
Ironically, in this race, I’m considered an outsider. While some of my opponents have a state or local perspective, I cut my teeth on Capitol Hill at a young age and have worked in or around the U.S. Congress on community development, housing, predatory lending, reproductive health and workforce, and equity education issues for over 30 years. I tend to look at issues through a broader lens and believe that everything starts with inclusiveness and balance.
Personally, I believe that ‘doing good’ for good’s sake is essential to the human spirit. I’m what you might call a ‘pay-it-forward’ girl. Tracing back to all the steps in my life, I just believe that it’s my calling to serve. My focus has always been on helping people. God and people come first with me. That’s where I think I am different and why I think I can make a difference.
What are some of the core challenges that Marylanders have faced, but that have been unresolved by past administrations?
During the Bush era, the country just wasn’t prepared to deal with the fall out and massive layoffs resulting from the economic recession. To the credit of our president and administration leaders, the Obama Administration has championed the inclusion of Career and Technical Education (CTE), STEM, adult-learning, and apprenticeships in secondary and post-secondary programs that offer real-life career opportunities for students regardless of age, gender or race.
In fact, the administration recently expanded the Presidential Scholarship Program to include CTE students. Programs like the Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship USA offers people opportunities to ‘earn and learn’ the high-demand skills needed to build living wage careers.
On the other side of the college-career readiness platform, the introduction of the American College Promise Act, by Senators Tammy Baldwin and Cory Booker, along with Congressman Bobby Scott, provides 2-years of community college to all eligible students and includes provisions for minority serving institutions (MSIs).
These are all sound investments in helping Marylanders strengthen their work skills needed to attract existing and new industries to the state. We have to re-calibrate our workforce to increase our competitiveness, locally, nationally, and worldwide. While the administration has made strong efforts to bolster CTE, STEM, Adult ED and apprenticeship programs at the federal level, many of these programs have not received sufficient resources from Congress to keep pace with the growing demand for middle and high-skilled workers that our businesses need to compete in markets at home and abroad.
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Where do you see opportunities for resolution, as far as your particular platform is concerned?
To move forward, there are instances when we have to look back to see what worked. Call me nostalgic, but I would like to see an effort underway to move our nation toward strong workforce training and education opportunities, with full employment as the goal. Legislatively speaking, from the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) to the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) to the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act to the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and now, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), we’ve made great strides to move us in that direction, but we clearly have a ways to go in order to meet the needs of 21st century working families.
Another example, of something that we know really works, is Head Start. We’ve seen great success with Head Start for low-income children, and yet, while the program has expanded since its inception in 1965, we know that in our current economy, we’re still not reaching every child who is eligible for the program — and every child matters.
Be it students leaving high school or displaced workers or those facing re-entry, the fact that we live in and need to prepare to function in a competitive global economy tells me that we have to build a stronger, highly-skilled workforce that will continue to move our nation forward. No one is expendable and as a nation we can’t afford to leave anyone behind without the training, skills, and support necessary to strengthen our talent pool.
I would like to shift gears a bit here. Our nation’s heroes often face tremendous challenges once they return home, many of which prevent them from becoming fully integrated into civilian life. What are some of the key challenges facing veterans in Maryland?
In Prince George’s County, we have roughly 72,000 veterans, with about 26,000 being either homeless, without stable employment, or adequate healthcare. Many are struggling with a myriad of challenges. Yet currently we only have two community-based outpatient clinics or C-BOCs for vets in Prince George’s County, one based in Camp Springs near Joint Base Andrews and the other in Greenbelt, with the latter expected to close in February 2016.
With the growing number of veterans in this area, the 4th congressional district would benefit from having another C-BOC facility that provides employment support and referrals, counseling support and family services, as well as outpatient services, physical therapy, prescriptions, eye care and dental care, at the very least. For veterans that are both jobless and homeless — and without transportation– reduced access to basic, preventive care is just unacceptable for our nation’s heroes.
Your campaign slogan is ‘A New Brand of Leadership.’ Why did you select this as your motto?
Representation means just that. I think that the role of an elected official is to express the interest of the people an individual represents through his or her vote. It’s important that people not only feel that they have a voice in policy, but [that] they are encouraged to use their voice to express their interest and concerns. I want to provide real deliverables to the community that people can wrap their heads around. A great statesman once said, ‘The leadership belongs not to the loudest, not to those who beat the drums or blow the trumpets, but to those who, day in and day out, in all seasons, work for the practical realization of a better world– those who have the stamina to persist and remain dedicated. To those belong the leadership.’
This is the sort of leader that I strive to be, dedicated and consistent in my efforts to try and make each day an opportunity for good.
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The purpose of the Augustus F. Hawkins Foundation (AFHF), the non-profit leadership organization you manage, is to promote education excellence throughout America and help strengthen a competitive workforce to ensure America’s leadership in a 21st century global economy. How will its existence help to ensure a competitive workforce in Maryland?
The mission of AFHF is simple: To encourage and promote education excellence throughout America and to help strengthen a competitive workforce to ensure America’s leadership in a 21st century global economy. My grandfather lived by these principles. He also believed that America’s human capital is our country’s greatest resource, I do as well. To honor his legacy, we work to promote the ideal that every individual should be well- equipped to contribute to our economic infrastructure. AFHF works as a convener of ideas, opportunity, and people. We understand that by bringing these three components together, we can provide some of the building blocks needed to help others find their way to a better future.
You have a great pedigree, as well as significant legislative and business experience. What do you think has most prepared you for this run?
The short answer is my faith in God. Everything starts from there. I believe in servant leadership. From there, I’ve been blessed to have learned from great leaders who made time to teach me, and hardworking people who shared life lessons with me that helped me keep my feet on the ground about what’s important. I’ve also learned that successful policy, at any level of government, begins with mutual respect and a willingness to both negotiate and compromise for the common good.
We know that all races come with a unique set of challenges. What, if any, do you see with this run?
These days, I think that people are paying more attention to the bread-and-butter issues that affect their lives and their families’ future. They’ve grown weary of the political noise and are just looking for practical answers to help them navigate through difficult economic challenges. Whether they are both parents and the caregiver of a parent, a small business owner, a displaced worker or someone re-entering society’s mainstream, I think that people just want straight-talk and honest representation.
I also think that people want to be heard, clearly and often. While our nation is slowly seeing signs that the economy is turning around, for homeowners still underwater in their mortgages, families working two and three jobs to keep their heads above water, and seniors trying to manage the daily choices of medication over groceries on fixed incomes, people are looking for more than political jargon in this election. They are looking for someone who will keep their door open; someone who seek and receive their ideas, concerns and criticisms, [and] someone who is willing to work with anyone regardless of what side of the isle they sit on if it means getting the job done. As important, I think that people are hungry for someone that isn’t afraid to say, I stand on the ‘people first’ principle, even when it may mean standing alone.
Thank you for your incredible insight into the campaign and what your win could mean for a better Maryland. What, more than anything else, is the one thing that you want Maryland voters to know about you?
As the national battle continues to restore the Voting Rights Act, we know that the right to vote is a precious thing. By exercising that right, we honor those who have sacrificed so much to make it possible for us to cast a ballot. I would like to ‘earn’ the solemn privilege of representing the people of Maryland’s 4th Congressional District and work with everyone to help get out the vote.
To find out more about Lisa, or her campaign, visit her website or follow her on Twitter: @Ransom4Congress.
Karima Mariama-Arthur, Esq. is the founder and CEO of WordSmithRapport, an international consulting firm specializing in professional development. Follow her on Twitter: @wsrapport or visit her website, www.wordsmithrapport.com.