By Britney Donald
Gwen Moore
Congresswoman Gwen Moore and former state Senator Gary George will compete against each other in the primary held on August 12, 2014.
The winner will advance to the general election held in November.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Moore has served the Wisconsin State Senate from 1993 to 2004, according to her biography.
She is the first African American woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Since 2004, Moore continues to become active within Milwaukee by fighting for women’s rights, tackling poverty issues among low-income environments and providing education and crime awareness to children.
As a past Democratic Chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, Congresswoman Moore continues to be a top leader for issues surrounding women, including domestic violence and sexual assault.
In 2014 alone, Congresswoman Moore has worked with women representatives to pass a bill aimed towards children migrating to various locations in order to escape physical and mental abuse.
According to the letter addressed to Speaker John A. Boehner, helping these young children and adults understand their rights and understanding of persecution is a humanitarian obligation as well as a moral and legal responsibility.
The letter continues to question the trafficking and persecution screening performed by Customs and Border Protection officers and agents.
Congresswoman Moore spent her entire career working in with public services focused on providing care to low income and middle class families.
In 2009, Moore presented a legislation that will provide greater assistance for the homeless.
In 2010, Moore took part in the Woman Infants & Children and Child Nutrition programs, which helped improved the quality of food served in schools across the country.
Moore is involved with the RISE (Rewriting to Improve and Secure an Exit Out of Poverty) Act which reinstates temporary assistance programs for families that provide the tools to transition out of poverty, according to Moore’s official website.
This July, Congresswoman Moore recently reached out to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and local officials in a letter to help prevent gun violence in Milwaukee.
The letter addresses the young age at which gun violence claims lives, which ranges from 18 to 34, and coming up with solutions.
Congresswoman Moore consistently writes letters to government and political figures to increase the lifestyle of Milwaukee citizens.
Her letters include providing funding for highways and transportation and fighting against the District of Columbia from implementing firearm laws.
She has a 100 percent rating by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Friends Committee on National Legislation and the National Breast Cancer Coalition.
Congresswoman Moore serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Budget.
She also serves two subcommittees entitled Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises and Housing and Insurance Subcommittee.
The House Committee on Financial Services is responsible for overseeing financial service regulators such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The contenders running against Moore for the August primary are Republicans David D. King and Dan Sebring.
