Missouri’s first Black Congresswoman Cori Bush recounts sleeping in car, dodging police
Cori Bush, a Democrat who became Missouri’s first Black Congresswoman last week, says fighting hunger and wage inequality will be top priorities because of her own life experiences.
“Look, I’ve slept in my car. I know what it’s like to try to move the car around the St. Louis area, hoping that the police won’t stop me and take my kids from me,” Bush told MSNBC’s Ali Velshi on Sunday. “I know what that’s like. I don’t want that for anybody else.”
It’s why Bush says she’ll push for a progressive agenda once in office, which includes an effort to raise the federal minimum to wage $15 an hour. It’s currently $7.25.
“You’re allowing people to struggle unnecessarily in this country,” Bush said. “We say $15 an hour ... we’re not talking about making anybody rich. We’re talking about taking people from starvation to living. That’s all we’re asking for.”
Bush, who will represent Missouri’s 1st District, recounted a day-to-day struggle to survive.
“It’s one thing to know that I can’t eat today, but I’m making sure my children eat. It’s another thing — it does something to your mind — when you know not only am I not eating today, I don’t know how I’m going to eat next week,” she said.
“I’m trying to pay my bills. You’re reaching out to family and friends to try to help you, but your family and friends, that network, is in the same boat as you. So you can’t pull from other people. Being poor is so expensive.”
Business Insider also profiled Bush on Sunday, saying she is “part of a wave of progressive challengers which first drew attention in 2018.” That list, informally labeled as “The Squad,” includes Democratic Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Rashida Tlaib (Michigan), Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts) and Ilhan Omar (Minnesota).
