Urgent: We have a special election for Congress here in Texas. I am a Democrat and I need your help to flip this seat on May 1! And yes, we are going to flip this seat. Please retweet and ask everyone you know to follow this account and to join our campaign!

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My name is Shawn Lassiter and I need your help. I’m running in a special election for congress in 22 days. Here is a thread about being black; about science, and about education. It’s long but it means a lot to me and why I'm running.

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I am a STEM Educator & I didn't see a Black STEM professional until 9th grade. Some people NEVER meet a Black person in a STEM role. That is why it’s so awesome @CollectivePAC and @314action are backing my run for Congress.

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I was bussed to predominantly white schools starting in elementary. By High School, my white friends were slotted into pre-AP classes. They put me in a class a rung below, with no explanation.

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I excelled academically. I played the trumpet; I was in band. I played basketball. I was on the student council

But I was seen as the exception, still. I was the “smartest black girl” in the school but still not good enough to get placed into certain classes

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No one in my family had graduated from college, and I was going to be the first.

I thought in order to be accepted I had to wear my hair straighter, to dress in Hollister, and to shift my language.

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I thought this would get me to the college of my choice

My white friends said “You’re not like the other black kids”

My black friends said to each other “Shawn’s changed. She’s acting white”

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I wanted to go to Florida State, and my best friends - two white girls - were applying there too.

They got in. I got waitlisted.

That’s when my uncle told me "You definitely need to go to #HBCU. You are lost."

He was right.

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The best decision I ever made was going to an #HBCU

For the first time I met black professors, black chemists, and black PHYSICISTS

Future academics, future law professors. Everyone, black.

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By attending a #HBCU I saw black excellence, and it changed my life. I joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and I found my lifelong passion for education.

Representation matters. Resources matter. Equity matters. Access matters.

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I taught high school science and coached the HS Varsity Girls Basketball team

I earned my Masters Degree in Public Administration and moved into administration in my local school district

I helped to spearhead a first-of-its-kind racial equity department in the district

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As a science teacher, I knew I had to have extra books, pencils, snacks, and a few pairs of clothes on hand in case my students needed them. But I couldn’t provide kids with parents, a stable home, or relief from homelessness.

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So I became an advocate.

I accepted a job as the Chief of Equity and Innovation at Leadership ISD, a nationally respected non-profit that helps communities leverage their power to change educational outcomes for their youths

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I worked to build a network of over 1,500 community stakeholders across TX to urge local school boards and the state legislature to take swift action to address the growing disparities in education

Now I'm running to shape policy to help children & families in my community

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I wanted to invest in my community - in black and brown kids - and give them access to the education and opportunities that I had.

I was a science teacher, but I knew I had to stand up for my students outside the classroom too.

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I’m running for Congress in #TX06 to help little black girls and little black boys see that they can be - not only successful STEM professionals - but also national leaders in their field

RT and donate to send a Black STEM educator to Congress https://secure.actblue.com/donate/stemthread210408?refcode=210408thread