Jahana Hayes (née Flemming: born March 8, 1973) is an American educator and politician serving as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for since 2019. The district, once represented by

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Chris Murphy Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States Hou ...

, comprises much of the state's northwestern portion, including

New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...

Danbury Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

, and

Waterbury Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...

. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Hayes is the first Black woman and Black Democrat to represent Connecticut in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

. She was recognized as the

National Teacher of the Year The National Teacher of the Year is a professional award in the United States. The program began in 1952, as a project by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and aims to reward excellence in teaching. It is sponsored by ING. Se ...

in 2016.

Early life and education

Hayes was born on March 8, 1973, in

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

, and grew up in

public housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

projects in that city. She earned an associate degree at

Naugatuck Valley Community College Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) is a public community college in Waterbury, Connecticut. It is one of the 13 colleges in the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system. NVCC grants a variety of associate degrees and certificates. ...

and a bachelor's degree at

Southern Connecticut State University Southern Connecticut State University (Southern Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State, SCSU, or simply Southern) is a public university in New Haven, Connecticut. Part of the Connecticut State University System, it was founded in 1893 and is g ...

. In 2012, Hayes earned a master's degree in curriculum and instruction at the

University of Saint Joseph The University of Saint Joseph (USJ; ; pt, Universidade de São José) is a Catholic university founded in 1996, previously known as Macau Inter-University Institute (; pt, Instituto Inter-Universitário de Macau; IIUM). It was jointly org ...

. In 2014, she earned her Sixth-Year Certificate from the

University of Bridgeport The University of Bridgeport (UB) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin University; it retain its own n ...

School of Education.

Teaching career

Hayes's first job was at the

Southbury Training School Southbury Training School is a large residential facility in the towns of Southbury and Roxbury, Connecticut. It was built in the 1930s as a large state-funded and state-operated residential and habilitative facility for adults with intellectu ...

in Connecticut. She went on to teach government and history at John F. Kennedy High School in Waterbury. She also chaired the Kennedy SOAR Review Board, a "school within a school" that provided advanced instruction for gifted students, and was a co-adviser of HOPE, a student-service club at Kennedy. In 2015, she was John F. Kennedy Teacher of the Year and then the Waterbury School District Educator of the Year. In 2016 she was named National Teacher of the Year. This award won Hayes widespread media attention. "I really think that we need to change the narrative, change the dialogue about what teaching is as a profession," Hayes told ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. "We've spent a lot of time in the last few years talking about the things that are not working. We really need to shift our attention to all the things that are working." Appearing on

Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom ''Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for " The Puppy Episode". Sh ...

's talk show, Hayes said she taught her students "kindness" and "community service." After receiving the award, she addressed the annual meeting of the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...

. "I am so grateful to be a member of the NEA," she said, praising it for preventing the "altruistic character trait that all teachers possess" from being exploited.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

In 2018, Hayes ran for the Democratic nomination for Connecticut's 5th congressional district. Her difficult upbringing was a cornerstone of her campaign. “I know what it’s like to go to bed to gunshots outside,” she told an audience at a candidate forum. “I know what it’s like to wake up in the morning to a dead body in the hallway." Hayes won the primary on August 14, beating Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman, who was endorsed by the

Connecticut Democratic Party The Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee (CT Dems) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Connecticut. Its chair is Nancy DiNardo. Democrats control both chambers of the state legislature, all constitutional state off ...

, 62% to 38%. In the November general election, she faced Republican Manny Santos, a former mayor of Meriden. Hayes supports public education and teachers' unions, and has credited her "union brothers and sisters" with playing a role in her success. In the 2018 election, she was endorsed by the

Connecticut Education Association The Connecticut Education Association (CEA) is a grassroots organization championing for teachers and public schools. It has been a leading voice for teacher professionalism and school improvement since it was formed in 1848 when 80 teachers met ...

. Her candidacy was also supported by the

Connecticut Working Families Party The Connecticut Working Families Party is a political party in the U.S. state of Connecticut with approximately 300 members. It is an affiliate of the national Working Families Party. The party's support has been strongest in Hartford and Bridgepor ...

(CTWFP), with CTWFP state director Lindsay Farrell saying that her primary victory "demonstrates the value in electing and mobilizing teachers who will fight for public education, stand up to ducation Secretary

Betsy DeVos Elisabeth Dee DeVos ( ; ' Prince; born January 8, 1958) is an American politician, philanthropist, and former government official who served as the 11th United States secretary of education from 2017 to 2021. DeVos is known for her support for s ...

, and advocate the importance of

collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The i ...

." On November 6, Hayes declared victory, becoming the first black Democratic House member from Connecticut. She and

Ayanna Pressley Ayanna Soyini Pressley (born February 3, 1974) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district since 2019. This district includes the northern three quarters of Boston, most of Ca ...

Massachusetts's 7th congressional district Massachusetts's 7th congressional district is a congressional district located in eastern Massachusetts, including roughly three-fourths of the city of Boston and a few of its northern and southern suburbs. The seat is currently held by Democrat ...

are the first women of color to be elected to Congress from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

2020

Hayes was reelected, defeating Republican nominee David X. Sullivan with 55.1% of the vote. In 2022, Hayes was questioned about the ethics of hiring two of her children to work and receive a salary as campaign staffers.

2022

Hayes ran for reelection in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

. She narrowly defeated Republican nominee George Logan in the general election.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Agriculture ** Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture ** Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations *

Committee on Education and Labor The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 50 members in this committee. Since 2019, the chair of the Education and Labor committee is Robert Cortez Scott of Virginia. Hi ...

** Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services ** Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education

Caucus memberships

Congressional Black Caucus The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is a caucus made up of most African-American members of the United States Congress. Representative Karen Bass from California chaired the caucus from 2019 to 2021; she was succeeded by Representative Joyce ...

* House Pro-Choice Caucus

Political positions

Hayes voted for both the

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

second impeachment of Donald Trump Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, was impeached for the second time on January 13, 2021, one week before his term expired. It was the fourth impeachment of a U.S. president, and the second for Trump after his first imp ...

. Soon after winning a second term, Hayes circulated a letter to the Republican House leadership urging it not to place Representative

Marjorie Taylor Greene Marjorie Taylor Greene (born May 27, 1974), also known by her initials MTG, is an American politician, businesswoman, and far-right conspiracy theorist Sources describing Greene as "far-right" include: * * * * * * * * * who has served as th ...

on the House Education Committee, citing Greene's claims that the

Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people. Twenty of the victims were children between six and seven years old, and t ...

and other mass school shootings were

false flag A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misr ...

operations. Sandy Hook is in Hayes's district. In 2020, Hayes was reported to be on the shortlist for

Secretary of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

in the

Biden Administration Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory ...

, but Connecticut State Commissioner of Education

Miguel Cardona Miguel Angel Cardona (born July 11, 1975) is an American educator and is currently serving as the 12th United States Secretary of Education under President Joe Biden since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was confirmed by the U.S. Sen ...

was selected. As of June 2022, Hayes had voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 98.2% of the time.

Personal life

Hayes lives in Wolcott, north of Waterbury, with her husband and four children.

Electoral history

References

External links

Congresswoman Jahana Hayes
official U.S. House website
Jahana Hayes for U.S. Congress
campaign website * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Jahana 1973 births African-American members of the United States House of Representatives African-American people in Connecticut politics African-American schoolteachers Schoolteachers from Connecticut African-American women in politics Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Female members of the United States House of Representatives Living people People from Wolcott, Connecticut Politicians from Waterbury, Connecticut Southern Connecticut State University alumni University of Bridgeport alumni University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut) alumni Women in Connecticut politics 21st-century American educators 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women educators 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women