Pressley, Ayanna, 1974-

Ayanna Soyini Pressley (born February 3, 1974) is an American politician who is serving as the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Pressley was the first black woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio Pressley grew up on the north side of Chicago and attended the Francis W. Parker School there. From 1992 to 1994, Pressley attended the College of General Studies at Boston University, but she left school to take a full-time job at the Boston Marriott Copley Place to support her mother, who had lost her job. She took further courses at Boston University Metropolitan College, also known as MET. After leaving Boston University, Pressley worked as a district representative for Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II, for whom she had interned during college. She later served as Senator John Kerry's political director.

Pressley was first elected to the Boston City Council in November 2009. Upon being sworn in on January 4, 2010, she was the first woman of color to serve in the 100-year history of the Boston City Council. In January 2018, Pressley announced her challenge to incumbent United States Representative Michael Capuano in the 2018 Democratic primary nomination for the Massachusetts's 7th congressional district. In the September 2018 primary, Pressley won by a nearly twenty-point margin. Unopposed in the general election, Pressley became one of the first two women of color elected to Congress from New England alongside Connecticut Congresswoman Jahana Hayes. She faced minor opposition in 2020, easily winning re-election.