Pramila Jayapal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 7th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Jim McDermott |
| Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus[a] | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Raúl Grijalva (as co-chair) Mark Pocan (as co-chair) |
| Member of the Washington Senate from the 37th district | |
| In office January 12, 2015 – December 11, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Adam Kline |
| Succeeded by | Rebecca Saldaña |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 21, 1965 Chennai, Madras State (present-day Tamil Nadu), India |
| Citizenship | Indian (1965–2000) American (2000–present) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Steve Williamson |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Susheela Jayapal (sister) |
| Education | Georgetown University (BA) Northwestern University (MBA) |
| Website | House website |
Pramila Jayapal[b] (born September 21, 1965)[1] is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Washington's 7th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents most of Seattle, as well as some suburban areas of King County. Jayapal represented the 37th legislative district in the Washington State Senate from 2015 to 2017. She is the first Indian-American woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. The district's first female member of Congress, she is also the first Asian American to represent Washington at the federal level.
Before entering electoral politics, Jayapal was a Seattle-based civil rights activist, serving until 2012 as the executive director of OneAmerica, a pro-immigrant advocacy group.[2] She founded the organization, originally called Hate Free Zone, after the September 11 attacks. Jayapal co-chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus from 2019 to 2021, henceforth serving as chair.[3] She serves on both the Judiciary Committee and Budget Committee.[4]
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- ^ Office of the House Historian. "Jayapal, Pramila". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^ "Pramila Jayapal Leaving OneAmerica". OneAmerica. July 8, 2017. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- ^ Jayapal, Pramila. "About Me". Pramila Jayapal. House of Representatives. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2018.