Ana-Maria Ramos currently serves as a representative for District 102 in the Texas House of Representatives. She has served in the Texas House since 2019 and is a member of the Democratic Party. Growing up in a working-class family has had huge impact on the issues that Ramos is passionate about and is a big reason why she ran for office in the first place.
The biggest motivator for Ramos’s campaign was the election of Donald Trump in 2016. After he was elected to office, Ramos started meeting in a neighborhood group to combat Trump’s effects on politics. They called themselves, “Indivisible Richardson”. Ramos and the group gave out her address, where they were holding the neighborhood meetings, and said, “If you’re frustrated with Trump too, come to my house Tuesday night and let’s start resisting and activating and organizing”. It was because of these meetings that she decided to run for state representative. At one meeting, she called her state representative and after getting responses and policy platform information that was not representative of her community, she decided to run to unseat her. This campaign was an organic community effort, in that the people around her helped aid Ramos in every aspect of the campaign.
When asked what the biggest issues facing her community at the moment, Ramos answered by discussing healthcare, vaccine allocation, and the pandemic in general. These issues are at the forefront of Ramos’s mind, as they are, “terrifying to community members.” She also specifically discussed the issue of teachers not being able to be vaccinated, while still being on the front lines of what has opened up in the state. Ramos states that one of the most important things her office is doing is to, “continue to advocate for science and draft legislation that helps families with regards to healthcare and ensuring they have healthcare.” Healthcare is an especially difficult issue in Texas, as it is a state that does not focus on healthcare and the issues surrounding obtaining healthcare. However, Ramos states that her team, “will continue to fight and advocate for these issues,” regardless of the fact that they are outnumbered in their position on this issue in Texas.
Growing up, Ramos’s grandmother was a huge inspiration to her. She grew up not speaking English and was not very involved in politics, but still did her civic duty in voting in every election, supporting the Democratic party. She would put up yard signs and use her vote as her voice, to help advocate for the people in her community. Similarly, when asked what her biggest career accomplishment has been thus far, Ramos said it was, “getting elected to be a state representative,” a position in which she can advocate for her community. She said it is the greatest honor that people heard her story, coming from a low-income, predominantly non-English speaking family, and decided they wanted her to be their representative, as it is something she never could have believed would happen.
If Ramos is able to impart any wisdom for women and femmes interested in pursuing politics, she says you must follow your gut and give yourself the freedom to work outside of the box. Listening to her gut is what led to her campaign for state representative, and it is what keeps her motivated to this day. In terms of working outside of the box, she advocates the challenging of systemic issues that have yet to be challenged. She says that, “you have to be okay with failing”, as that is the only way that issues and policy will change for the better. It is clear through Representative Ramos’s policy positions and passion for helping the community she serves in District 102 in Texas that she is not afraid to change and adjust the political culture in Texas, and by doing so, is a bright light for Texans.
Disclaimer: At the time of our interview, there had yet to be any specific legislation allowing teachers the opportunity to get the Covid-19 vaccine. There is now a federal mandate that allows for all educators to be able to register for the vaccine.
