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OAKLAND, CA - Today Lateefah Simon, BART Board District 7 Director and a nationally recognized social justice leader, announced her campaign to represent California’s 12th Congressional district. Lateefah has dedicated her 25-year career to fighting for marginalized communities in the Bay Area, and is running to continue Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s legacy of bold, progressive leadership in the House of Representatives.

“As a young mom, as a youth organizer working with young women who were being trafficked in the underground street economy, as someone who myself had been in the juvenile justice system, I decided very early on that government wasn’t working for folks with no voice,” said Lateefah Simon. “I’ve spent my life fighting for those folks, and I will work to take our shared stories and experiences to the halls of Congress so I can continue our fight. That’s how we make change on a national level. And that’s why I’m running for this seat.”

“There are few people in this country more qualified to lead on racial justice, women’s issues, and criminal justice reform than Lateefah Simon,” said State Senator Nancy Skinner. “Her extraordinary career speaks for itself, but more importantly, Lateefah is a true public servant. Lifting up others, specially those who are marginalized, is always at the root of her work. I cannot wait to see what she accomplishes for this community, and for all Americans, once she’s in Congress.”

“This district has a history of iconic progressive leadership, and I cannot think of a better person than Lateefah Simon to continue the legacy of Ron Dellums and Barbara Lee,” said Assemblymember Mia Bonta. “This is a community of activists, organizers, and changemakers—many of whom are black and brown. They deserve a fighter in Congress, and I know Lateefah will be that fighter and more.”

Lateefah Simon is a 25-year veteran organizer and nationally recognized advocate for civil rights and social justice.

Lateefah began her career of advocacy at age 16 as an outreach coordinator for the Young Women’s Freedom Center. At age 18, she gave birth to her eldest daughter, Aminah, and quickly learned as a young single mother that government wasn’t working for people like her. A year later, she became Executive Director of YWFC and spent the next decade earning national acclaim for her advocacy on behalf of marginalized young women. In 2003, at age 26, Lateefah became the youngest woman to receive a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship.

Lateefah was later chosen by then-San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris to lead the creation of  Back on Track, a highly effective, first-of-its-kind anti-recidivism initiative for young adults charged with low-level offenses. Lateefah also served as Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, where she launched successful community-based initiatives such as the Second Chance Legal Services Clinic. She would go on to become Program Director of the Rosenberg Foundation, where she launched a fund to incubate and accelerate bold ideas from the next generation of progressive leaders in California.

On Father’s Day in 2014, Lateefah lost her husband and love of her life, journalist Kevin Weston, to cancer. Even with insurance, Kevin’s hospital bills left Lateefah almost a million dollars in debt. Her East Bay community rallied around her family, helping with rent and groceries, lifting her up and pushing her forward even in the darkest of times.

In 2016, galvanized by the death of Oscar Grant, Lateefah ran and was elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors. Born legally blind, Lateefah relies solely on public transportation to go about her day and sought to make BART more affordable for working families and transit-dependent people like herself. Lateefah was also appointed by then-Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the Board of Trustees for the California State University, the nation’s largest public university system, where she offered strategic advice on policy matters related to racial justice in higher education. 

Lateefah graduated from Mills College with a B.A. in Public Policy , and was selected as her class commencement speaker. She later earned her MPA from the University of San Francisco. In 2016, Lateefah became president of the Akonadi Foundation, an Oakland-based racial justice organization. In 2020, she was appointed a senior advisor on police reform for California Governor Gavin Newsom. Lateefah also serves on the Advisory Committee for Human Rights Watch U.S, as an Oxfam Ambassador, and the Board of Directors for Rosenberg Foundation and Tipping Point Foundation.

Lateefah has received numerous awards for her work including “Woman of the Year” from the California State Assembly, the Ford Foundation’s “Leadership for a Changing World” award, the Remarkable Woman Award from Lifetime Television, the Levi Strauss Pioneer Activist Fellowship, the New Frontier Award from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Jefferson Award for Extraordinary Public Service, and Inside Philanthropy’s Most Promising New Foundation President. Over the years, she has been named to Oprah Magazine’s first ever “Power List”, the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 40 Under 40, and the Root 100.

Lateefah currently resides in Emeryville with her youngest daughter, Lelah.

Lateefah will be available for media requests this afternoon from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM. Please contact Elizabeth Power at (650) 465-1724 or Press@LateefahSimon.com to schedule.

Future updates about Lateefah’s campaign will be available at LateefahSimon.com.

California’s 12th Congressional District is home to over 750,000 people across Alameda County, and includes Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Piedmont, and San Leandro.