HIGH RECOMMENDATION: Javahn Walker - New Jersey CD06 - U.S. Congress

Javahn Walker - New Jersey

U.S. Congress - District 6

Born in New Jersey to a single mom, I learned firsthand how hard it is for one parent to provide for family. When I was a child, my mother was laid off from her employer which she gave 19 years to. After her layoff, our lives changed. The end result was us moving to middle Georgia, where we'd be close to family and the cost of living would be cheaper. It was during my teenage years that I experienced a different world than what I was used to.

As a teenager from New Jersey, I was exposed to Southern customs and traditions. Though I clashed with those values often, I understood that people experienced life in a different way than how I grew up, which is what makes this country so great. Over the years, it gave me a more nuanced level of thinking and provided me with great ways to solve problems that I might have not been exposed to had I stayed in New Jersey. I was blessed with experiences and lessons learned from living in the Deep South but I knew I wanted to return to Jersey and I was granted the chance once I was accepted to Rutgers University.

Because I grew up in a middle-class single parent household, I had to rely on federal student loans and federal Work-Study programs over my time in college to pay for my education.

Jersey Matters - Javahn Walker - 2017

While my primary focus was to sit in class and learn, my mother was working to put food on the table and to pay the bills. I've worked 40 hours a week on top of a full-time semester all throughout college to help my mom out and it helped me learn the value of hard work and the spirit of the middle class.

Throughout my time at Rutgers, I had several great experiences that I wouldn't have gotten anywhere else. I studied abroad in Prague, Czech Republic, learned to speak multiple languages, was among one of the most diverse student bodies of any public college, and made lifelong friendships with people from around the world. My education was one of the most valuable investments I ever made. It helped prepare me for my life after college.

US Congress 6th District Democratic Primary Debate - 5/29/18

My entry into the workforce after college coincided with the 2016 Presidential election, which got me further in politics. After seeing Bernie's underdog run in 2016 and Donald Trump's victory as well as his current tenure, I knew that more younger people like myself should run for office because our entire system is run by a few and benefits only those few. With my desire to enter politics, I decided to run for US House of Representatives in NJ's 6th Congressional District. Having lived in the district for years and graduated from it's most well-known university, I saw the decay of the communities around me and knew that the incumbent's time had gone on for too long. It was time for an end. I was the first Democratic challenger in 24 years to a 30 year incumbent and gave voters their first option of who they wanted elected as their Congressman since 1994. Building on the movement set in 2018, I am ready to take that next step and lead this district as a Congressman you can count on.

For too long, the power over our future and the future of the country itself has laid with those who have no desire to change anything. It has laid with people who, if they were to change anything for the better in this country, might sacrifice personal wealth. For too long, we have been living by their rules – and those rules have been built to keep us from receiving what they have already received for themselves. But the time has come, in which we are going change that. The time has come for us to stand up and say: “We will no longer accept the status quo".

The time has come for us to stop believing that someone will start acting in our favor instead of their own and starts building a better future for us. We need to understand that this future can only be built by our own hands, the hands of the people who will actively participate in it. The people who believe that they can realize the American Dream if they work hard enough. The people who are willing to fight for their future. We have the inspiration, the will, the energy, and the dedication to take our future into our own hands. All we need is the power to do so. And the time has come to transfer that power from those who use it only for themselves to those who are willing to face the challenges right on.

It is the time to stand up.
It is the time for change.
It is the time in which we get together to create the future we deserve.

And it all starts with your Choice.

The time has come.

In 2018, I was the first Democratic challenger to the incumbent in twenty-four years and this campaign is determined to finish what we started and get the job done in 2020.

With your support, we will be able to achieve the progressive goals that the current representation has failed to accomplish. We will be able to guarantee healthcare for our citizens with Medicare for All, save our environment and planet with a Green New Deal, protect the people from big money interests, grow our middle class with higher wages and end the tax breaks for the rich.

The people of NJ's 6th Congressional District deserve a leader that understands their everyday issues and I am ready to serve that need.

Donations of $25 or more will receive a free T-shirt so please include your size in the comments.

Together, we can finish the job!

A Progressive Candidates Campaign