We just hit 200 salons. We're just getting started.
Last week, we gathered for our 200th salon.
Two hundred conversations.
Two hundred living rooms, coffee shops, backyards, and parks across the Northside.
Two hundred reminders that real democracy happens when neighbors sit together, listen to one another, and dream about a better future.
And as I looked around that 200th salon, I kept thinking: this is what politics should be. Not backroom deals. Not leaders who only show up when an election is around the corner. But ongoing, honest conversations rooted in community and compassion—and leaders who actually want to do something about the problems we face.
For years, I’ve been organizing alongside you. Before I ever considered running for office, I was in the fight with you:
I was on the frontlines when Trump vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade—and through the statewide organizing I did with NARAL Pro-Choice America, from crowded living rooms to cramped college dorms, we codified Roe into Illinois law.
I’ve knocked doors and organized with you to elect better Democrats up and down the ballot—and to defeat one of the last anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ Democrats in Congress.
I’ve stood shoulder-to-shoulder with you outside the Broadview ICE detention facility as well as in North Center, Lakeview, and Lincoln Park, demanding justice for our immigrant neighbors. What ICE is doing is evil and wrong—and Illinois needs legislators who won’t hide in these trying times, but will stand hate straight in the face.
These salons grew out of that same spirit—the belief that policy must be shaped with community, not handed down from leadership who haven’t knocked on someone’s door in a decade (or even longer).
And yes… people still ask: what on earth is a “salon?”
It’s not (always) where you get your hair or nails done. The tradition goes back centuries—to Gertrude Stein’s gatherings on art, and to Ben Franklin’s conversations on philosophy when this country was just beginning. Salons are small-group discussions grounded in curiosity, shared values, and a commitment to collective problem-solving.
Our modern version? Two hundred conversations on housing, transit, health care, reproductive rights, climate, and the future we want for Illinois. Two hundred chances to build trust, build power, and build a movement.
As I reflect on these last 200 salons, I’m more committed than ever to continuing the conversation. I love our neighbors. I love the community we are building together. And I know the work doesn’t end here.
But I can’t do it alone.
Election Day is March 17, and that’s less than four months away. For the first time since 1972, this district has a real choice—and I’m running because I believe deeply that Illinois deserves leaders who’ve been in the fight long before campaign season:
Leaders who show up.
Leaders who listen.
Leaders who get to work.
If you believe in this kind of politics—the kind rooted in empathy, community, and courage to challenge the status quo, join us at our next salon and find out more!