Obama Alum Fighting 4 Gun Reform on Mean Streets of Chicago in Obama's Home District IL-1 INTERVIEW

https://www.robertemmons.org/
I was raised in Mays Landing, NJ. We didn’t have much, but my parents instilled in me the understanding that we must give of ourselves for the betterment of our community. It was through them that I learned how to solve problems.

I moved in with my grandparents in Auburn Gresham. I watched my grandmother work tirelessly to reinvigorate our block and open a food bank in Englewood. Every break from school, I helped her to bag and distribute food to our neighbors. When I look back, I realize that she was the first true organizer I ever met.

My grandparents taught me the importance of community activism. She taught me the value of treating those we assisted with dignity and compassion. In the years that followed, she provided the support and love I would need to become who I am today.

During my Freshman year at UIUC, I lived with my friends. One of them had a difficult time acclimating to college. Despite his best efforts to bring up his performance, he was told that he would not be a good fit for the university. I was disappointed that they hadn’t done more to help him.

Shortly after he returned to Chicago, he was killed. The disappointment I felt towards the University quickly became disappointment in myself. I had to look within myself to evaluate and interrogate that fear.

I eventually turned that fear and disappointment into purpose. He became my inspiration to turn back to advocacy. Through the work that followed, as a GVP Advocate and Social Innovator, I came to understand that our communities’ issues are best solved when courageous leaders come together and fight for bold solutions. No one understands the issues of the 1st district better than those who live with them, and that’s why I’m fighting for our community.

After graduating from the UIUC, my wife, Brittani, and I moved back to Chicago. I began my career as a Manager of Program Innovation for OneGoal, focusing my efforts on projects which aimed to increase college-persistence in low-income communities. I later served as a Community Leader with the Obama Foundation, assisting young organizers around the country to design initiatives to heal their communities from within. This work showed me the power of people to effect change in their communities. I believe that this power, paired with federal support from a committed representative, can bring immediate improvements to the lives of all those in the 1st district of Illinois.