RELEASE: Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes Awarded Prestigious 2020 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star by EMILY’S List

Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes Awarded Prestigious

2020 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star by EMILY’S List

COLUMBUS — Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes today received the prestigious 2020 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award by EMILY’s List.

Leader Sykes, D-Akron, was one of six finalists for the national award that recognizes women elected officials who demonstrate commitment to their communities.

“I am honored to receive the 2020 Rising Star Award from EMILY’s List and join an illustrious list of women who have been nominated and received this prestigious award. Women are playing a vital role by advocating for working Americans and families. I am grateful EMILY’s List provides a national platform to address issues of equity, race, job security, voting and more,” Leader Sykes said.

STATEMENT FROM EMILY’S LIST

Leader Sykes is the first Ohioan to win the Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award. She has led the Ohio House Democratic Caucus in the 133rd Ohio General Assembly. In this General Assembly, Leader Sykes’ bi-partisan get-it-done approach resulted in 37% of the Democratic bills passing.

Leader Sykes has worked tirelessly to ensure Black and women of color elected leaders are recognized. She founded the We Belong Here PAC to unify Black elected women and activists who address issues faced by communities of color, and she continues to be a strong voice for Black and communities of color during the effort to reform police operations in Ohio and across the country in addition to supporting efforts to declare racism as a public health crisis and addressing the racial disparities in COVID infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.

The Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award honors extraordinary women who serve in state or local office and demonstrate dedication to women, communities, and families. Past Rising Star recipients include Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, Boston City Councilwoman Ayanna Pressley, and California Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo.

EMILY’s List is a grassroots community of more than five million members. The organization helps recruit, train, and support Democratic women candidates. Since 1985, EMILY’s List has helped to elect 150 women to the U.S. House, 26 women to the U.S. Senate, 16 governors and nearly 1,100 women to state and local offices. Approximately 40 percent of supported EMILY’s List candidates have been women of color.