Rep. Cori Bush caused an upset when she defeated a 10-term incumbent Democrat, Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr., in the 2020 primary for Missouri’s First District.
Since being officially sworn in, she has already faced brewing resentment in the Capitol for bringing the Black Lives Matter movement across the threshold… but she remains undeterred.
As part of Women’s History Month, we’re bringing you five facts about the fearless lawmaker.
She Rose to Prominence Seeking Justice for the Murder of Micheal Brown
In 2014, the world was shocked by the police killing of an 18-year-old unarmed Black teen, Michael Brown, who was shot dead by police in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9. Police confronted Brown over a robbery he did not participate in. Officer Darren Wilson fired a total of 12 bullets.
Bush leaped into action and was one of the frontline Ferguson activists protesting for his killers to be brought to justice. The Ferguson protests sparked nationwide demonstrations. Still, Wilson was not indicted for the murder.
Bush says she has not changed her views now that she is in office.
“My message is the same. It’s the times that have changed,” says Bush in an interview with the Prospect. “I’ve been true to myself since Ferguson … I didn’t change, and with me not changing people were able to grab ahold of this message, this message of equity and equality for our community and ending all of these racist practices in our communities.”
Cori Bush is an Ordained Pastor and a Registered Nurse
Representative Cori bush can also be referred to as the Rev. Cori Bush of Florissant. Bush earned a graduate diploma in nursing from the Lutheran School of Nursing in 2008. She went on to work as a triage nurse before she rose to prominence as a Black lives Matter organizer.
Her experiences as both a pastor and a nurse propelled her down the road to Congress.
“As a single parent, registered nurse, ordained pastor, activist, and community organizer, there is not a day that goes by when I don’t feel the impact of a government that doesn’t work for us,” she wrote in an op-ed for Refinery29.
