Shomari Figures to address the DNC

Alabamian Shomari Figures will address the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night (August 22, 2024). Shomari is the Democratic nominee in Alabama's Second Congressional District. CD2 was recently redrawn by the federal courts in order to make the district more winnable for a Black person.

Figures left his position with the U.S. Justice Department, where he was chief of staff for Attorney General Merrick Garland, in Washington D.C. to return home and run for Congress.

"Alabama is home," Figures said. "It is where I was raised in my grandfather's church and where I was educated from kindergarten to degree in law. The people and places of the state made me who I am today. Inspired by parents Michael and Vivian Figures, who devoted their careers to public service and instilled in me the values of service and community, I've dedicated my life's work to advocate for the people and places that have always been at the core of who I am: the people of Alabama."

Both of Figures' parents represented Mobile in the Alabama Senate.

"My father, Michael Figures, was a state senator and lawyer," said Figures. "For over two decades, he fought to expand rights for Black people in Mobile and across Black Belt Alabama. He worked to protect property rights and ensure fair representation for Black people and successfully brought the lawsuit that bankrupted the Klan after they lynched a Black teenager in Mobile in 1981. My mother served on the Mobile City Council at the time of my father's sudden death, and she was elected to fill his seat in the State Senate. She still serves as a State Senator and has worked to protect women's rights and improve health and education in Alabama."

Figures graduated from John L. LeFlore High School. He went on to the University of Alabama and has a law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law. Following law school, Figures went to work for the federal government. He has served in all three branches of the federal government.

"After serving as a law clerk on the federal court, I worked on President Barack Obama's campaign, and then went to work in the White House with President Obama, serving as the Domestic Director of Presidential Personnel," Figures recalled. "In the White House, I worked to build the teams at agencies critical to implementing President Obama's policies. I worked closely with senior leadership at agencies that touch the daily lives of people in Alabama, including the Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Justice. I was proud to be able to support, from the ground up, the implementation of policies and legislation like the Affordable Care Act, which has improved the lives of thousands in Alabama."

"I went on to serve as the White House Liaison at the Department of Justice, and then as a Counsel in Congress, where I served as an advisor on issues including civil rights, immigration, homeland security, child welfare, and policing," Figures said. "After leaving Congress, I worked on the Biden-Harris Transition Team, and then returned to the Department of Justice where I most recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor Attorney General Merrick Garland. The time I spent in the federal government was dedicated to advising leaders on issues that impact families across Alabama and throughout the nation. I worked on issues that supported students and teachers, expanded access to quality healthcare, increased job and workforce opportunities, and building stronger, safer communities."

Figures said, "As your Congressman, I'll work to:

• Build on the legacy of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by working to ensure that every person in Alabama can get a checkup every year and advocating for healthcare policies that prioritize accessibility, affordability, and quality of health care – particularly in rural communities.

• Expand healthcare networks, increase funding for community health centers and foster partnerships with reputable companies capable of delivering quality, affordable healthcare to our District so that the care we deserve is available on time, every time.

• Address healthcare disparities, like our state's maternal health crisis that disproportionately impacts Black mothers and infants.

• Protect reproductive rights and ensure every patient can make their own healthcare decisions - on their own, for their own futures.

• Build out healthcare networks in rural communities through grants that leverage partnerships with our community colleges and existing healthcare providers to reach more people."

Figures will face Republican attorney Caroleene Dobson in the primary runoff on Tuesday, November 5.

Democratic nominee for President Vice President Kamala Harris will also speak to the DNC tonight. Her speech has the potential to motivate Democrats to come out in heavy numbers this fall. If she succeeds it could propel her to the Whitehouse and a heavy Democratic turnout in CD2 could put Figures in the Congress.

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