Why I joined Anabel Mendoza’s campaign 

For more than 30 years, I have fought alongside West Side families to keep their homes, protect their neighborhoods, and demand accountability from systems that too often fail us. As a pastor and housing justice advocate rooted in Austin and across Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, I have prayed with seniors facing displacement, supported families navigating housing instability, and witnessed the urgent need for leadership grounded in lived experience. For me, housing justice is ministry — and ministry calls us not just to faith, but to action. 

That is why I chose not only to support Anabel Mendoza for Congress but also to join the core team helping to lead her campaign. 

Together, we stood with the tenants of Harrison Courts in East Garfield Park, demanding federal action after months of unsafe living conditions. I watched her listen deeply, walk alongside residents, and center their voices in the fight for dignity and safe housing. She does not speak for communities — she organizes with them. 

We have also traveled together into Black churches across the South and West sides, engaging congregations in honest conversations about unity, economic pressure, and the shared struggles facing Black and Brown communities. In a time when division is easy, she is doing the harder work of building bridges, bringing people together around shared solutions.  

Illinois’ 7th District has a proud legacy of faith-driven leadership, but honoring that legacy means recognizing when it is time to grow. Families are struggling to find affordable housing, Section 8 voucher holders face barriers, seniors fear displacement, and working people are being squeezed by rising costs. These challenges require bold, responsive leadership willing to fight for transformative solutions. 

Anabel Mendoza represents that next chapter. A lifelong Chicagoan shaped by working-class roots, she understands that when Black and Brown communities stand together, we build real power. I joined this campaign because I believe our district is ready for leadership that reflects our shared future and is committed to ensuring every family has the opportunity to thrive.