Pramila Jayapal, Author at Institute of Current World Affairs

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is one of the leading progressive voices in American politics. First elected to represent Washington State’s 7th District in 2016, she served as chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The first South Asian American woman elected to the House and one of only two dozen naturalized citizens currently serving in the United States Congress, she serves on the Judiciary and Budget committees. Prior to serving in elected office, Pramila spent 20 years working on international and domestic global public health and development and as an award-winning national advocate for women’s, immigrant, civil and human rights. She was founder and executive director of OneAmerica, the largest immigrant advocacy organization in Washington State and one of the largest in the country. Born in India, she grew up in India, Indonesia and Singapore, and she came to the United States by herself at age 16 to attend college at Georgetown University. She later received her MBA from Northwestern University, worked in a number of industries in both the public and private sectors and published her first book in 2000, soon after her ICWA fellowship, Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland. Her second book is Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman’s Guide to Politics and Political Change.

Posts and Dispatches from Pramila Jayapal:

Former Fellow Jayapal Outraged at Decision to End “Dreamer” Program
Former Fellow Pramila Jayapal (India, 1994-1996) was featured in a podcast published by The Stranger regarding her outrage at President Trump’s decision to end the Obama-era “Dreamer” program. She also discusses “how Democrats in Congress plan to push back.” Click here to listen to the podcast....
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Former Fellow Jayapal Refuses to Be Called “Young Lady”
Former Fellow Pramila Jayapal (India, 1994-1996) was the focus of an article published by Broadly. Jayapal talked to Broadly about shutting down belittling comments from male colleagues. Click here for the full article....
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Former Fellow Jayapal on the Termination of DACA
Former Fellow Pramila Jayapal (India, 1994-1996) published an article for Cosmopolitan regarding President Trump’s termination of the Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Jayapal states that deporting the “Dreamers” would be a betrayal of our American values. Click here to read the full article....
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“Dreamer Dinner” with Former Fellow Jayapal
Former Fellow Pramila Jayapal (India, 1994-1996) was featured in an article published by Q13 Fox regarding the dinner she held on September 4 welcoming local DACA recipients to her office in downtown Seattle as part of a nationwide Dreamer Dinners Campaign. Jayapal’s conference table was turned dinner table on Labor Day discussing the impacts of...
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Former Fellow Jayapal’s Reacts to the Decision to Repeal DACA
Former Fellow Pramila Jayapal (India, 1994-1996) was featured in an article published by the Seattle Patch. The article states that local Democrats and a Republican quickly condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to repeal DACA Tuesday. Click here for the article....
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Pramila Jayapal interview with Democracy Now!
In an interview titled “”Cruel & Inhumane”: Rep. Pramila Jayapal on Trump Push to Slash Legal Immigration,” former ICWA Fellow (India, 1994-1996) shared her thoughts on President Trump’s recent actions against legal immigration. Watch the whole thing here!...
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Pramila Jayapal in BRIT+CO
In “Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal Proves it’s Never Too Late to Change Paths,” former ICWA Fellow Jayapal is featured with brief biography detailing her life and rise to her current position in Congress. Check out the full article here! (Photo via Chip Somodevila + Tasos Katopodis / Getty)...
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Pramila Jayapal New York Times Op-ed
Former ICWA Fellow and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal published an article yesterday in the New York Times, titled “The Country I Love.” Check out this fantastic op-ed here!...
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Pramila Jayapal in Mother Jones
Former ICWA Fellow Pramila Jayapal is the subject of the new Mother Jones article, “She Didn’t Pick the Resistance. The Resistance Picked Her. Now She’s One of Trump’s Most Fearless Opponents.” The article highlights Jayapal’s splash into Congress, standing up to Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban and making her mark. Read the full article here....
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ICWA Alum Pramila Jayapal On Cover of The Nation
Past ICWA Fellow and Trustee Pramila Jayapal was recently interviewed by The Nation Magazine on her commitment to political activism and change, and will soon be featured on the cover of their magazine. Pramila was born in India and raised in Indonesia and Singapore. As an ICWA fellow, she studied social issues in India, involving religion,...
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