Summary
Shomari Coleman Figures (born September 3, 1985) is an American politician from Mobile, Alabama. A member of the Democratic Party, Figures is the member-elect for the United States House of Representatives in Alabama’s 2nd congressional district.
Figures is the son of Michael Figures, a civil rights attorney and member of the Alabama Senate, and Vivian Davis Figures, who succeeded her husband in the Alabama Senate after his death. His father was the attorney of Beulah Mae Donald whose son was lynched by members of the United Klans of America. Donald was awarded $7 million dollars, which bankrupted the organization.
OnAir Post: Shomari Figures
About
Alabama is home. It is where I was raised in my grandfather’s church and where I was educated from kindergarten to degree in law. The people and places of the state made me who I am today. Inspired by parents Michael and Vivian Figures, who devoted their careers to public service and instilled in me the values of service and community, I’ve dedicated my life’s work to advocate for the people and places that have always been at the core of who I am: the people of Alabama.
My father, Michael Figures, was a state senator and lawyer. For over two decades, he fought to expand rights for Black people in Mobile and across Black Belt Alabama. He worked to protect property rights and ensure fair representation for Black people and successfully brought the lawsuit that bankrupted the Klan after they lynched a Black teenager in Mobile in 1981. My mother served on the Mobile City Council at the time of my father’s sudden death, and she was elected to fill his seat in the State Senate. She still serves as a State Senator and has worked to protect women’s rights and improve health and education in Alabama.
meet Shomari
Alabama is home. It is where I was raised in my grandfather’s church and where I was educated from kindergarten to degree in law. The people and places of the state made me who I am today. Inspired by parents Michael and Vivian Figures, who devoted their careers to public service and instilled in me the values of service and community, I’ve dedicated my life’s work to advocate for the people and places that have always been at the core of who I am: the people of Alabama.
My father, Michael Figures, was a state senator and lawyer. For over two decades, he fought to expand rights for Black people in Mobile and across Black Belt Alabama. He worked to protect property rights and ensure fair representation for Black people and successfully brought the lawsuit that bankrupted the Klan after they lynched a Black teenager in Mobile in 1981. My mother served on the Mobile City Council at the time of my father’s sudden death, and she was elected to fill his seat in the State Senate. She still serves as a State Senator and has worked to protect women’s rights and improve health and education in Alabama.
After graduating from John L. LeFlore High School, I went on to the University of Alabama and then followed in my father’s footsteps and went to law school at the University of Alabama. Keeping the values of service and community formed in my childhood at the forefront, I immediately went to work in public service, ultimately serving in all three branches of the federal government.
After serving as a law clerk on the federal court, I worked on President Barack Obama’s campaign, and then went to work in the White House with President Obama, serving as the Domestic Director of Presidential Personnel. In the White House, I worked to build the teams at agencies critical to implementing President Obama’s policies. I worked closely with senior leadership at agencies that touch the daily lives of people in Alabama, including the Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Justice. I was proud to be able to support, from the ground up, the implementation of policies and legislation like the Affordable Care Act, which has improved the lives of thousands in Alabama.
I went on to serve as the White House Liaison at the Department of Justice, and then as a Counsel in Congress, where I served as an advisor on issues including civil rights, immigration, homeland security, child welfare, and policing. After leaving Congress, I worked on the Biden-Harris Transition Team, and then returned to the Department of Justice where I most recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor Attorney General Merrick Garland. The time I spent in the federal government was dedicated to advising leaders on issues that impact families across Alabama and throughout the nation. I worked on issues that supported students and teachers, expanded access to quality healthcare, increased job and workforce opportunities, and building stronger, safer communities.
Now, as the proud husband of a former school teacher and strong advocate for our communities, Dr. Kalisha Dessources Figures, and father of three – Micah, Novah, and Zorah – I came home to run for Congress so that I can put my experience to use for the people and communities that mean the most to me. People across the newly formed District 2 deserve to have a leader in Congress who will prioritize them and can effectively fight to get things done. For too long, too many communities in this District have not been a priority in Washington and have had to do more with less. In this election, we can change our story..
I have the experience to get the job done in Washington. I know how the federal government works. I’ve built the relationships needed to work across party lines and do the most good. I understand the challenges we are up against. With your support, I’ll go to Washington to keep fighting for a stronger, more resilient District 2 so that we can move forward – forward, together.
Web Links
Politics
Source: Wikipedia
After law school, Figures served as a law clerk for Nannette A. Baker in the Eastern District of Missouri. He worked for Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign as a field organizer in Akron, Ohio. He then worked in the Obama administration as the domestic director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. He then served as the White House liaison to Loretta Lynch, the attorney general of the United States. Figures became legislative counsel for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and then worked on the presidential transition of Joe Biden. Figures served as deputy chief of staff for Merrick Garland while he was attorney general until resigning in October 2023.
Finances
Source: Vote Smart
New Legislation
Issues
Source: Campaign page
ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE
Alabama is one of the few states left to expand Medicaid, leaving hundreds of thousands of Alabamians left without health insurance. At the same time, Alabama has one of the lowest life expectancies in the country and one of the highest rates of maternal mortality – disproportionately impacting Black mothers and infants.
Voters across District 2 can’t afford 30-minute drives to the nearest emergency room or 24-hour urgent care facility. Mothers can’t afford long commutes to a labor and delivery unit. We live in the most powerful nation on earth and, when someone needs to see a doctor, they should be able to.
As your Congressman, I’ll work to:
Build on the legacy of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by working to ensure that every person in Alabama can get a checkup every year and advocating for healthcare policies that prioritize accessibility, affordability, and quality of health care – particularly in rural communities.
Expand healthcare networks, increase funding for community health centers and foster partnerships with reputable companies capable of delivering quality, affordable healthcare to our District so that the care we deserve is available on time, every time.
Address healthcare disparities, like our state’s maternal health crisis that disproportionately impacts Black mothers and infants.
Protect reproductive rights and ensure every patient can make their own healthcare decisions – on their own, for their own futures.
Build out healthcare networks in rural communities through grants that leverage partnerships with our community colleges and existing healthcare providers to reach more people.
INVESTING IN EDUCATION AND OUR EDUCATORS
Throughout this District and across Alabama, disparities in education are pervasive, and our educators – for all they do – are not valued as they should be. Alabama ranks below the national average in 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade math, particularly for Black and Latino kids. In our state, only 28% of kids are reading proficiently and only 1 out of every 5 kids are proficient in math.
Teachers in Alabama are amongst the lowest paid in the country and, while we ask them to take care of everyone else’s children, they are afforded no paid parental leave when they decide to have a family of their own.
We must ensure every student in our District— particularly those of color and in rural communities — has access to a high-quality education and that our schools are equipped with the modernized infrastructure and technology needed to help our young people be successful.
As your Congressman, I’ll work to:
Increase pay for Alabama teachers – who are the single-most important professionals to the future of this District – so that we can recruit and retain the best teachers in the country.
Advocate for increased federal funding and resources to modernize our schools so that every student can attend a school with modern technology and achieve the best possible educational outcomes.
Close the achievement gap and ensure students have access to high-quality education, particularly after years of learning loss following the global pandemic.
Increase access to mental health professionals and counselors in our schools.
JOBS, OPPORTUNITY & BUILDING AN ECONOMY FOR THE FUTURE
We have a real opportunity to grow Alabama’s workforce and economy, ensuring that Alabamians have a seat at the table in Congress as we emerge into an economy of the future. I believe that every person and family in this District has the ability to earn a good wage and get ahead, which will rely on us investing in our small businesses, investing in childcare, bringing new jobs to our District, and bridging the digital divide so that innovative and modernized and financial systems can help stimulate economic growth, technological advancement, and expanded access of financial services to District 2.
As your Congressman, I’ll work to:
Raise wages, because families are working harder but struggling to keep up with record cost increases – particularly increasing costs of healthcare, childcare and housing.
Support small businesses through targeted tax incentives, equitable access to capital, and sustainable resources for entrepreneurship.
Grow workforce development programs, specifically through partnerships with colleges and universities, to ensure Alabamians have the competitive skills needed for emerging job opportunities in the District.
Support and protect the right to advocate as a collective when workers choose to organize.
Spearhead policies that promote public-private partnerships and workforce development programs, catalyzing innovation and job-readiness in both rural and suburban areas.
Fight for paid parental leave and expand access to affordable, high-quality childcare so that families can provide and care for their loved ones when they need to and so that we can address the barriers that keep too many women out of the workforce.
Lead recruitment efforts to attract new businesses into the District and encourage expansion opportunities for existing companies.
Expand broadband and internet services in our District so that businesses and schools can compete in a modern economy.
Embrace the new landscape around digital assets, like Cryptocurrency, to stimulate innovation and technological advancement and ensure, as blockchain continues to evolve, its applications benefit our District in areas like supply chain management, healthcare, and identity verification.
Advocate for job creation and economic diversification through fostering a more resilient and inclusive economy for people from all backgrounds.
Develop a framework that responsibly addresses regulatory concerns around cryptocurrency and encourage reasonable regulation to protect consumers, investors and our economy and equip residents with resources that support their comprehensive understanding of digital currency.
COMBATING GUN VIOLENCE AND BUILDING SAFER, STRONGER COMMUNITIES
We need a District – and an Alabama – where every person has the chance for opportunity, where every person has their rights protected, and where every person can feel safe. In an average year, 1,149 people die and 3,065 are wounded by guns in our state. Alabama has the 4th-highest rate of gun violence in the country, and gun violence is the leading cause of death for young people in Alabama.
Across this District, disparities persist – in education, healthcare and income – robbing young people of brighter futures. In order to combat those disparities and provide young people with the opportunities to succeed that they deserve, we must address violence, build safer communities, and protect the constitutional rights of every resident.
As your Congressman, I’ll work to:
Advance a holistic approach to addressing gun violence in our communities and providing a future with better opportunities and outcomes for young people in this District.
Strengthen and propose legislation that protects every person in Alabama from discrimination, so that we all have an equal opportunity to thrive.
Work towards sensible criminal justice and prison reform so that we are allowing formerly incarcerated individuals the ability to successfully rejoin society and gain access to the opportunities needed – jobs and education – that support their success after incarceration.
Improve police and community relations throughout the District to enhance community safety while ensuring our communities are safely policed.
Continue the fight to protect and expand voting rights and ensure every person in this District – a District that was the outcome of years-long advocacy for fair voting – can have their voice heard at the ballot box.
More Information
Wikipedia
Shomari Coleman Figures (born September 3, 1985)[1] is an American politician from Mobile, Alabama. A member of the Democratic Party, Figures is the member-elect for the United States House of Representatives in Alabama’s 2nd congressional district.
Early life and education
Figures is the son of Michael Figures, a civil rights attorney and member of the Alabama Senate, and Vivian Davis Figures, who succeeded her husband in the Alabama Senate after his death. His father was the attorney of Beulah Mae Donald whose son was lynched by members of the United Klans of America. Donald was awarded $7 million dollars, which bankrupted the organization.[2][3]
Figures graduated from LeFlore Magnet High School in Mobile, Alabama.[4] He attended the University of Alabama and earned a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice and history in 2006 and the University of Alabama School of Law, earning a Juris Doctor in 2010.[5]
Career
After law school, Figures served as a law clerk for Nannette A. Baker in the Eastern District of Missouri.[4] He worked for Barack Obama‘s 2012 reelection campaign as a field organizer in Akron, Ohio.[6][7] He then worked in the Obama administration as the domestic director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. He then served as the White House liaison to Loretta Lynch, the attorney general of the United States.[8] Figures became legislative counsel for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and then worked on the presidential transition of Joe Biden.[9] Figures served as deputy chief of staff for Merrick Garland while he was attorney general until resigning in October 2023.[4]
Congressional bid
Following Allen v. Milligan, the Supreme Court ruled that Alabama’s previous map violated the Voting Rights Amendment, the Court ordered Alabama to redraw its congressional maps to have an extra black district which made Alabama’s 2nd congressional district majority black.[10]
In November 2023, Figures declared his candidacy to represent Alabama’s 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in the 2024 elections.[11] In the Democratic primary, he led the 11-candidate field with 44% of the vote and advanced to a mid-April runoff election against Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels.[12][13] In the primary race, cryptocurrency political action committees spent millions to elect him and months after the primary, Figures asked the Democratic National Committee to adopt more pro-crypto policies in addition to encouraging Kamala Harris to select a “pro-innovation” Securities and Exchange Commission chair and a vice presidential candidate “sophisticated in digital asset policy”.[14]
Figures defeated Daniels with 61% of the vote in the April runoff election.[15] Figures spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.[16] He defeated Republican Caroleene Dobson to win election to Congress.[17]
Personal life
Figures met Kalisha Dessources in 2014 while they both worked at the White House. They married on December 2, 2018, in East Brunswick, New Jersey,[18] and have three children.[4]
References
- ^ Sharp, John (April 17, 2024). “Who are Shomari Figures and Caroleene Dobson? 5 things to know about Alabama’s competitive District 2 race”. AL.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Tensley, Brandon (January 22, 2024). “His Father Bankrupted the Klan. He Wants to Keep Fighting for Racial Justice in Congress”. Capital B News. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Wright, David; Shelton, Shania (April 17, 2024). “General election matchup set in potentially historic race for new Alabama district, CNN projects”. CNN. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Johnson, Roy S. (October 24, 2023). “Member of Figures political family exploring congressional District 2 race; which one?”. AL.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ “2nd Congressional District: Shomari Figures wants to leverage federal experience”. News From The States.
- ^ Jacobs, Samuel P. (January 7, 2013). “For Obama’s second inauguration, a subdued, less crowded Washington”. Reuters. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Willis, Andrew (January 4, 2024). “Figures in AL-2 race: ‘I know how government works’“. Alabama Daily News. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ “Shomari Figures: Serving the Nation”. University of Alabama School of Law. December 9, 2016. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ “Figures in AL-2 race: ‘I know how government works’“. January 4, 2024. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ “Alabama gets a court-ordered congressional map with a second Black district”. NBC News. October 5, 2023. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Roy S. (November 9, 2023). “Ex-Obama aide, DOJ official qualifies for crowded field of district 2 hopefuls”. AL.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Booker, Brakkton (March 12, 2024). “Shomari Figures on making Alabama history”. Politico.
- ^ Cason, Mike (March 6, 2024). “Figures, Daniels make Democratic runoff in 2nd District”. AL.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Phillips, Chance (July 29, 2024). “Shomari Figures asks DNC to go easy on crypto”. Alabama Political Reporter. Archived from the original on August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Hagan, Victor. “Shomari Figures wins Democratic nomination in Alabama’s newly drawn 2nd Congressional District”. Montgomery Advertiser. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ Cason, Mike (August 19, 2024). “Alabama congressional candidate Shomari Figures will speak at Democratic convention”. AL.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ “Shomari Figures wins bid to represent Alabama district embroiled in Supreme Court case”. NBC News. November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ^ “Kalisha Dessources, Shomari Figures”. The New York Times. December 2, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
External links
Media related to Shomari Figures at Wikimedia Commons- Appearances on C-SPAN
