Yesterday, nationally known human rights advocate, Jasmine "Abdullah" Richards, posted publicly on Facebook that she will run for Pasadena's City Council in the upcoming 2020 election year. Should she run, she will be representing the City of Pasadena's 1st District and most likely be facing current Councilman Hampton, seeking reelection.
In 2016, Richards went "viral" when she was the first African-American ever to stand trial and be convicted of felony lynching. Richards appealed, and in 2018, her felony conviction was overturned.
Richards is best known to the community as a leader in the "Black Lives Matter" movement and an active mentor for local youth which many would consider as the most "at-risk". In addition to public speaking at colleges and universities, Richards regularly organizes after-school and summer programs for children of low-income families.
Ordinarily, campaigning would have already begun for those seeking to take the seats that would have been up for election early next year, but due to a recent vote by Pasadena residents, those elections will be postponed until major elections in 2020. The idea of this vote was to create a greater public interest and larger voter turnout.
With the extra 18 months and already active public image, Richards absolutely has the opportunity to produce a powerful campaign and a real chance to take an election in her official political debut.