The New Politics Podcast Episode 23: Juana Matias

Juana Matias is a first-generation American who moved with her family to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic when she was five years old.  She went on to become the first Latina ever elected to the serve in the Massachusetts State House, and in 2018 ran for Congress in a crowded field of candidates vying to fill the seat that opened up when long-term Congresswoman Niki Tsongas announced that she was not running for re-election.  Juana ultimately lost that race, but she greatly outperformed expectations by coming in third out of thirteen candidates.  Along the way, she demonstrated that a woman of color from a working-class background could be a viable Congressional candidate here in Massachusetts.

Juana is a trailblazer and amazing servant leader, and in this episode she discusses her path to politics, how she stayed resilience while daily challenging assumptions about what is possible for a woman of color in politics, and how she stays so powerfully grounded in her purpose.