Donna Edwards is running to unseat DINO Albert Wynn in Maryland's 4th district. Donna brings her strong commitment to progress and experience needed to get things done.Donna Edwards represents the principles for which we all want to believe America still stands. Get involved with this, YOUR campaign for congress: http://donnaedwardsforcongress.com/node/173

About Donna: A Military Upbringing

One of six children raised in a military family, Donna traveled throughout our country and the world. She learned to appreciate and to listen, to make true friends, and to hold close to her family. In her words, "I had to be versatile and I couldn't be shy ... and wherever we went, we met wonderful people."

Donna's father, John Edwards, was in the Air Force and his oldest son, John, signed up at the age of 18 along with his high school friends. It was the height of the Vietnam "conflict," and Donna was a pre-teen. She vividly recalls the tragic sight of those who served and died in Vietnam making their long journey home to the United States.

Through these experiences, Donna came to appreciate the sacrifices of military service and the value of friends and families.

When it was her time to graduate high school, she was offered the opportunity to join the Air Force Academy in the first class to admit women. In the end, Donna chose to return to her birth state, North Carolina, and attend Wake Forest University, where she was one of only six African American women in her class. Donna studied English and Spanish and dated a football player, Derek Coleman. After graduation, she and Derek married and moved to Silver Spring, Maryland.

From Rocket Science to Superior Court

As a young professional, Donna worked for Lockheed Corporation at Goddard Space Flight Center with the Spacelab program, helping translate into readable English the work being done by "rocket scientists" and engineers.

After the devastating explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, Donna decided it was time to go back to school, and she chose Franklin Pierce Law School in New Hampshire. At Franklin Pierce, Donna developed her love of law for the public interest.

In the third year of law school, Donna and Derek had a son, Jared. Juggling two households, they settled in Fort Washington, Maryland, while Donna clerked for a D.C. Superior Court Judge.

Lessons from her Parents: Give Back

Donna's father died when Jared was just six months old and before her graduation from law school. Donna says, "He was my heart. My Dad was so proud that I would be graduating and he was especially proud to be introduced to his only grandson."

Donna remembers that last year with her Dad as filled with some of the best conversations, games of Scrabble, and political discussions (passions he passed on to her) that the two ever had.

Donna also came to appreciate her mother even more. "She had to move six children every 18 months, and she never complained. My mother always sees the bright spot and the best in people. I like to think that my Mom's optimism rubs off on me."

Donna says of her parents, "My parents taught me to be a person and to be a parent. I learned the importance of giving something back to your community and your country from them."

Becoming a Champion of the Public

Donna came to realize that she would not be happy unless she used her law degree as a public interest advocate.

Against Domestic Violence

She co-founded and served as the first executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, and though not a victim herself, she realized that battered women had no legal or political support. Donna received national recognition as she led in the successful fight to pass the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, providing comprehensive funding to shelter and services for victims of domestic violence and their children.

For Campaign Finance Reform

Donna also entered the national media spotlight after the House banking scandal, as she led efforts to reform our campaign finance system and lobbying laws, first with Public Citizen and then as the executive director for the Center for a New Democracy.

For Public Health and Well-Being

She created a successful national effort to force pharmaceutical companies to open markets for generic anti-arthritic medications, and in 2003, in her own community, she started a grassroots campaign against a multi-billion dollar development plan in order to improve the quality of life in existing neighborhoods, to protect the natural environment, and to bring quality services and jobs to the area. Donna negotiated a deal to bring more than $200 million to the community, while also safeguarding the local air, water, land and wildlife.

Since 2000, Donna has served as the executive director for The Arca Foundation in Washington, D.C. She has gained national prominence as a strategist and creator of innovative efforts to

• Support "living wage" campaigns
• Ensure the independence of the federal judiciary
• End capital punishment
• Protect Social Security, and
• Support labor and human rights internationally

She has led efforts to bring millions of dollars to programs that make a difference in the lives of working families and to hold our government accountable.

Running for Congress

When Jared recently decided on a college, Donna decided it was time to become a member of the institution whose policies she has worked so hard to change, the U.S. House of Representatives.

"I want to represent Maryland's 4th Congressional District because I believe I represent the hopes and values that are the core of the Democratic Party — for workers, for families, for our country. I believe that we need to return the voices of ordinary people to the Democratic Party."

Why Oust Albert Wynn?

Donna is challenging Representative Albert Wynn, whom she supported when he first ran in 1992, but who has cast several prominent votes in support of the Bush Administration. Albert Wynn was one of only a few members of the Congressional Black Caucus to support the resolution authorizing the invasion of Iraq as well as all subsequent spending. He has led efforts to bring casinos to the district.

He voted to:

• Pass the Republican energy bill
• Weaken the Endangered Species Act
• Drill for oil in Alaska's protected land
• Give billions of dollars in tax breaks to the oil and gas companies

permanently repeal the estate tax -->

He sided with the Republicans and the pharmaceutical companies on drug policy, the credit card companies on the bankruptcy bill, and just recently, he joined the telecommunications industry in supporting privatizing the Internet. The money his campaign has received reveals these new alliances.

"We haven't left Albert Wynn," says Donna. "He's left us, and I can no longer stand on the sidelines. I want to stand up for what is right and what is in the best interests of our district and our country. It's what my father did for me, and what I have to do for my son Jared and his generation."

Get involved with this, YOUR campaign for congress: http://donnaedwardsforcongress.com/node/173