She Dared to Dream: Ayanna Pressley

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100 Women For 100 Women Rally
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 12: Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) speaks at The National Council for Incarcerated Women and Girls “100 Women for 100 Women” rally in Black Lives Matter Plaza near The White House on March 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. The organization and its supporters are urging President Joe Biden to release 100 women currently incarcerated in federal prison. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

Deeper Viewing
She Dared to Dream: Ayanna Pressley

Directed by Abby Ginzberg

Wednesday, April 15, 6 pm CINEMA + | BUY TICKETS

$8 | $6 Speed members | Free for UofL students, faculty, and staff

Ayanna Pressley is not only a Congresswoman, but also an advocate, a policymaker, an activist, and a survivor. In 2018, Ayanna was elected to represent Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Ayanna believes that ‘the people closest to the pain should be closest to the power’ and that a diversity of voices in the political process is essential to crafting more effective public policy.  Ayanna was also the first woman of color elected to the Boston City Council in 2009.

In Congress, Ayanna has been dedicated to bold, activist leadership introducing legislation to ensure fair compensation for low-wage workers, supporting survivors of sexual assault and harassment, and to fundamentally reimagining our criminal legal system. She has been a vocal advocate on behalf of immigrant communities, fighting for and securing the release of Ruymesa Ozturk from ICE detention, fighting to protect critical reproductive rights and has been an outspoken opponent of Project 2025 from its inception.

As She Dared to Dream reveals, Ayanna Pressley has demonstrated courage in living authentically speaking openly about alopecia and rejecting imposed beauty standards—making her story resonate far beyond politics. It is about representation, visibility, and the power of authenticity. 2025, U.S., DCP, 28 minutes. Recommended for 12+.

Co-presented with the PanAfrican Studies Department, UofL.

PAS Mark

CINEMA + with a post-screening discussion.

March On Washington To Protest Police Brutality
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 28: Representative Ayanna Pressley poses for a protrait during the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial August 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. Today marks the 57th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech at the same location. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
100 Women For 100 Women Rally
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 12: Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) speaks at The National Council for Incarcerated Women and Girls “100 Women for 100 Women” rally in Black Lives Matter Plaza near The White House on March 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. The organization and its supporters are urging President Joe Biden to release 100 women currently incarcerated in federal prison. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

Deeper Viewing
She Dared to Dream: Ayanna Pressley

Directed by Abby Ginzberg

Wednesday, April 15, 6 pm CINEMA + | BUY TICKETS

$8 | $6 Speed members | Free for UofL students, faculty, and staff

Ayanna Pressley is not only a Congresswoman, but also an advocate, a policymaker, an activist, and a survivor. In 2018, Ayanna was elected to represent Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Ayanna believes that ‘the people closest to the pain should be closest to the power’ and that a diversity of voices in the political process is essential to crafting more effective public policy.  Ayanna was also the first woman of color elected to the Boston City Council in 2009.

In Congress, Ayanna has been dedicated to bold, activist leadership introducing legislation to ensure fair compensation for low-wage workers, supporting survivors of sexual assault and harassment, and to fundamentally reimagining our criminal legal system. She has been a vocal advocate on behalf of immigrant communities, fighting for and securing the release of Ruymesa Ozturk from ICE detention, fighting to protect critical reproductive rights and has been an outspoken opponent of Project 2025 from its inception.

As She Dared to Dream reveals, Ayanna Pressley has demonstrated courage in living authentically speaking openly about alopecia and rejecting imposed beauty standards—making her story resonate far beyond politics. It is about representation, visibility, and the power of authenticity. 2025, U.S., DCP, 28 minutes. Recommended for 12+.

Co-presented with the PanAfrican Studies Department, UofL.

PAS Mark

CINEMA + with a post-screening discussion.

March On Washington To Protest Police Brutality
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 28: Representative Ayanna Pressley poses for a protrait during the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial August 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. Today marks the 57th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech at the same location. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)