SOUTH HADLEY — U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Carmen Yulín Cruz, the former mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, will hold a virtual town hall Friday at 4:30 p.m.
The talk, which will kick off a series of town halls known as “Our Voices, Our Platforms,” is open to the public and hosted by Mount Holyoke College. Those interested can register for free on the college’s website to receive a Zoom link.
Pressley, who was elected in 2018 to represent the Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District, is the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the state. She is known for her advocacy addressing underserved and underrepresented voices in her constituency and has been awarded honors such as Victim Rights Law Center’s Leadership Award and the Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award from Emily’s List.
Cruz, who joined the college early this year as a fellow focused on leadership initiatives, served as mayor of San Juan from 2013 through 2020 after unseating Jorge Santini, a 12-year incumbent. In this role, she drew public attention to the devastation Hurricane Maria inflicted upon Puerto Rico in 2017 and vocally criticized the Trump administration’s lack of federal aid to the island. She also served as a member of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico from 2009 to 2013.
The series intends to “explore how people can use their voices to make meaningful change and how to discover and create the platforms necessary to achieve that transformative change,” according to the college.
Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at jvoghel@gazettenet.com.