Pramila Jayapal is a woman of many firsts. As the current US representative for Washington state's 7th congressional district, Jayapal is not only the first Indian-American woman to serve in the House of Representatives but also the first Asian-American to represent the state of Washington in Congress.
Her name become synonymous with workers' rights after she served on the committee that made Seattle the first major American city to introduce a $15 minimum wage. And to throw one more superlative into the mix, she also cochaired Seattle's search committee for a new police chief, which resulted in the city's first female chief.
After September 2011, Jayapal founded the nonprofit Hate Free Zone, now called OneAmerica, which advocates for immigration issues and helps new citizens register to vote.
