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Symone Sanders
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| Symone Sanders | |||
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| Basic facts | |||
| Organization: | Priorities USA Action | ||
| Role: | Communications and political outreach strategist | ||
| Affiliation: | Democratic | ||
| Education: | Creighton University | ||
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Symone Sanders is the communications and political outreach strategist for Priorities USA Action, a Democratic super PAC.[1] During the 2016 election cycle, Sanders worked as the national press secretary for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. and then as an organizer for the Democratic National Convention Committee.[2] A graduate of Creighton University, Sanders (no relation) previously worked for Public Citizen—a 501(c)(3) organization founded by Ralph Nader—and is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.[3]
Career
Early political work
A native of Nebraska, Symone Sanders first became involved in politics through the organization Girls Inc. At the age of 16, she introduced former President Bill Clinton (D) at the organization's 2006 event in Omaha, Nebraska.[4] While a student at Creighton University, Sanders remained involved with Girls Inc. as a public policy intern; she also interned in the office of Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle (D).[5]
Campaign communications
After graduating from college, Sanders began working with the Omaha-based Empowerment Network, a 501(c)(3) organization that aims to ensure that "all citizens are engaged and empowered and have full access to the incredible opportunities that are available here [in Omaha]."[6] At the organization, Sanders managed communications and community outreach.[5]
In 2014, she became the deputy communications director for Chuck Hassebrook's campaign for governor of Nebraska. Hassebrook described Sanders to Omaha Magazine in 2015, saying, "Symone is the kind of person that people just love to be around. ... She’s very smart, but it is her principles and ethics that I perhaps most admire. I’m a huge Symone fan. She’s a person that I hope will be running things someday."[4] Hassebrook lost the election with 39 percent of the votes.[7]
After working with Hassebrook, Sanders moved to Richmond, Virginia, where she directed communications for Virginia Delegate Michael Futrell.[5]
Public Citizen
- See also: Public Citizen
In November 2014, after the Hassebrook campaign and while she did communications work for Futrell, Sanders began working as the communications officer for Public Citizen in the organization's Global Trade Watch program.[5] Public Citizen is a nonprofit think tank founded by Ralph Nader in 1971; the Global Trade Watch aims "to promote government and corporate accountability in the globalization and trade arena."[8]
Juvenile justice advocacy
Sanders is also an advocate for juvenile justice reform. She sat on the executive board of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice as the national youth chair, and she is also a member of the Nebraska Coalition on Juvenile Justice.[9] She told Omaha Magazine, "The system isn’t set up well for minority communities. ... My brother was incarcerated when he was young. I’ve been arrested myself—I told Bernie all about that right upfront—and this is an epidemic. Black and brown kids are being locked up at a disproportionate rate. It’s a school-to-prison pipeline. What so many of them need is help, jobs—not jail."[4]
Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, 2016
Symone Sanders was hired as the national press secretary for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign on July 23, 2015. In August 2015, she told Cosmopolitan how she and the campaign connected:[10]
| “ | I worked for Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, which is a consumer advocacy think tank, but we worked on global trade issues. Sen. Sanders is a champion of trade, so he's like a work hero. I'd been following what he's doing. The campaign reached out to me. They said they came across my résumé and they liked what they saw, so they wanted to bring me in and have a conversation, so I sat down; I talked to the campaign manager. Then I met with the communications director and we chatted. And then I didn't hear anything.[11] | ” |
Sanders had further conversations about racial and social justice with the campaign. She told Buzzfeed that her early advice to Bernie Sanders, before being hired, was, "racial inequality and economic inequality are parallel issues. ... I [told him,] you know, economic equality is an issue. It’s something we need to address. But for some people it doesn’t matter how much money you make, it doesn’t matter where you went to school, it doesn’t matter what your parents do."[12]
According to The Washington Post, Sanders' hiring happened just as Bernie Sanders' campaign began to face sharp criticism from activist groups and protesters associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. At the time of her hiring, the paper noted, "The rise of Symone Sanders is a blessing for an insurgent campaign that keeps getting interrupted by activists crying out for racial justice."[13]
On June 26, 2016, Politico reported that Sanders had decided to leave the campaign. She told the site, "I believe my time at the campaign has come to an end. I'm very proud of the work we have done and am now looking forward to helping elect down-ballot Democrats and do all I can to ensure a Democrat is the 45th president of the United States."[14] On July 6, 2016, Buzzfeed reported that Sanders had been hired to work for the Democratic National Convention Committee.[2]
Comments on campaign role
In a July 2016 interview with Lenny, Sanders explained why she asked to be the campaign's national press secretary. She said:[15]
| “ | I believe that spokespeople are some of the most powerful people in politics, because during a campaign it's all about the message. I have always wanted to be in the communications space because I represent an important demographic all across the board, and I believe people like me should be involved in the process. ... It's sad, but no one thinks to automatically make an African American woman or a Latino woman the spokesperson for general issues. They come to us for women's issues, or about issues connected to communities of color, but never for things like trade.[11] | ” |
Priorities USA Action
- See also: Priorities USA Action
On January 18, 2017, Politico reported that Sanders had agreed to join Priorities USA Action, a Democratic super PAC, as the organization's communications and political outreach strategist. At the time, Priorities was in the midst of shifting from its election messaging, which focused on criticizing Donald Trump's presidential candidacy, to opposing Trump's presidential agenda and preparing for 2018 U.S. Senate races.[1]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Symone Sanders'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, 2016
- Public Citizen
- Black Lives Matter
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Politico, "Major Democratic super PAC hires Clinton, Sanders vets for relaunch," January 18, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Buzzfeed, "Former Sanders Spokesperson To Join Democratic Convention Staff," July 6, 2016
- ↑ Essence, "6 Things to Know About Bernie Sanders' New Press Secretary, Symone Sanders," August 12, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Omaha Magazine, "Symone Sanders’ Iowa Odyssey," December 18, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 LinkedIn, "Symone Sanders," accessed April 6, 2016
- ↑ The African-American Empowerment Network, "Home," accessed April 6, 2016
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Official Results: General Election - November 4, 2014," accessed April 6, 2016
- ↑ Public Citizen, "Global Trade Watch," accessed April 6, 2016
- ↑ Nebraska Crime Commission, "Nebraska Coalition for Juvenile Justice," accessed April 6, 2016
- ↑ Cosmopolitan, "How Symone Sanders Got a Seat at the Table With Bernie Sanders," August 17, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Buzzfeed, "Bernie Sanders’ Campaign Adds Young Black Woman As New Public Face," August 9, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Bernie Sanders’s ambassador to black voters hits the ground running," August 10, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Sanders national press secretary leaving campaign," June 26, 2016
- ↑ Lenny, "'No Relation,'" July 26, 2016
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