INTERVIEW BY ELLIE BROEREN
Photographed by P. Robert Broeren Jr.
INDIA CRAWFORD, NOMINEE OF OHIO STATE REP. JUANITA BRENT, DISTRICT 12
Her career goals: I used to always be reluctant to tell people that one day I want to run for electoral office or I want to be the next president, because that to me just kind of sounds silly out loud, even though within myself, I knew that’s always what I’ve wanted to do, but it just seemed so unachievable. I used to look where I was at, and I felt like I was 1,001 steps away from getting there. So seeing Kamala get appointed kind of was like a reaffirmation for me, like “No, you can do this too, you can run for office one day.” So that’s inevitably my end goal.
Where she finds female empowerment in her life: I briefly mentioned how I was adopted, and I was adopted by a lesbian couple, so I grew up in a household where it was just women. And at a young age I struggled with embracing my family because the dynamic of my family was just so different from the norm. But growing up with two women in the household and seeing them be unapologetically themselves in their relationship that often wasn’t accepted by mainstream society, was nothing short of inspiring to me because it taught me not only how to be myself unapologetically but also to be authentic and brave and that there is always someone that’s going to resonate with you."
“From my experience as a young Black woman, even if we’re given a seat at the table, it’s really rare we’re given a microphone”