My mother did not raise me to ask for permission to lead.

Raising me as a single parent, my mother held many jobs. Most of them had to do with the betterment and the advancement of our community and society at large. I grew up seeing her active in ministries at our church, with the homeless, as a social worker, with elderly, with youth, as a children's rights organizer with the Urban League of Chicago.

Public service and community organizing and movement building is such a part of my DNA that it's really hard to separate it.

Ayanna Pressley Quotes