Today, Pitt cancelled my speaking engagement citing concerns of disruption and my safety. I’m a proud graduate of Pitt and celebrate it as an institution where I found the power of my voice.
It’s a dangerous position to stoke confusion and division within the Democratic Party when democracy is on the line.
This plays directly into the hands of the GOP at a point when the conversation needs to be about Trump's laundry list of problems.
As a brown woman, I’ve experienced racism and xenophobia all my life.
Even before announcing my run for Congress in PA-12, there were people wanting to suppress my voice and candidacy.
You expect to see these racist, xenophobic and hateful scare tactics in a Republican primary.
In the Trump era, we as Democrats must unite and uplift diverse voices and reject extremism within our own party.
It saddens me that I couldn't speak at my own alma mater, and I wish I could have shared this message with the young people building the future of our country.
The cornerstone of a thriving democracy and political process is freedom of expression.
I won’t be silenced by identity attacks.
Lastly, acknowledging and supporting people of color when they express that they are being harmed and silenced is crucial for a just society.
Exciting day attending
@Emerge_PA
with phenomenal women! Thank you for sharing your inspiration and leadership stories with the cohort today,
@MaritaGarrett
and
@LindseyForPA
! 👏🏽
Great morning yesterday with PIC5K. All funds raised this year will go to nonprofits focused on eliminating racial inequities in education.
It was nice seeing US Reps Ro Khanna and Conor Lamb, County Executive Fitzgerald and candidate Arvind Venkat support this annual event.
Anyone know orgs in PA working to prevent voter suppression on Election Day? Our team at Be the Change wants to offer the tech/app/data to help people report concerns onsite and get them help. Everyone has the right to vote and should feel safe while doing it. 🗳
#ProtectTheVote
Wonderful event today hosted by the South Asian community in support of
@VenkatforPA
! Thank you to
@AustinDavisPA
and
@PisciottanoPA
for joining the conversation and always being strong advocates in Harrisburg! Great mtg newly elected Franklin Park Councilman Uday Palled as well.
.
@staceyabrams
has been going strong with the dedication, intention, and strategy since day one! It’s wonderful to see her get the national recognition and momentum that will build us forward together.
Excited to have been accepted to deliver a talk at the annual
@codeandsupply
conference
@abstractionscon
! Already looking forward to August so we can talk about the importance of representative data !
#dataforgood
Looking forward to joining
@huetechsummit
and Philly Tech Week today as a panelist for “Data Decoded: WOC Talk Data Science.” I’ll be talking abt the importance of community-generated data and participatory democracy + lessons learned since launching Be the Change! Join us! 👩🏽💻
Honest + creative accountability in tech. "If we’re going to get different results from a tech company, and if we’re ever going to build technology that people trust, then it’s clear: We have to change the way our boards of directors work."
@anildash
We hit a major milestone today for
#bethechange
@beamdata
. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and there’s no greater reward than working to turn an idea into reality. Exciting things coming soon! 🌈
#techforgood
#womenintech
Sen. Kamala Harris is the first Black/Indian woman to be the VP nominee for a major U.S. party’s presidential ticket. It’s taken long to get here but I’m thrilled we made it. Even prouder today to contribute to the campaign as a PA Delegate, donor and voter!
#BidenKamala2020
🇺🇸
My mom came to the US from India in the 90s.
Mom:
Dishwasher
Motel housekeeper
Convenient store clerk
She made
#PGH
home + started her small business called
@indiaonwheelspa
She didn’t have an accelerator/mentorship to guide her. She learned entrepreneurship out of need.
I’d love to hear about you. What jobs did ur parents work to get you where you are today? Here’s mine:
Mom:
Factory worker
Dry cleaner worker
Nanny
Housekeeper
Dad:
Machine operator
Truck Driver
My job: Narrative Journalist
@latimes
*Quote this tweet with ur response🎉
Grateful to the Edgewood Borough Police Department for their service and allowing me to ride along the route this morning as Edgewood Borough Councilmember!
A special thank you to Sergeant Fred Livingston for serving our community and taking time to answer my questions!
Know a PA State Legislator that could benefit from more focused dialogue w/ constituents? Have a Cause you’re trying to advocate for w/ your legislator? We’re adding new electeds on Be the Change across PA! Nominate someone and we’ll reach out them!
#civicaction
🗣🗣
Randomly reading through a community engagement thread and saw someone recommended Be the Change as a way to connect with their state legislators and keep updated on community-based ideas. This will keep me going for weeks. 🤩
Spent Saturday morning with the ladies of
@Emerge_PA
! A little different via Zoom but informative nonetheless as we discussed the powerful history of labor unions and what the movement means for all of us. Thank you for leading an informative session
@NikkiliaLu
!
I’m SO excited to be speaking about data for social good at the
@HUETechSummit
in Philadelphia! 👏🏽 It’s THE
#tech
summit designed for women of color in tech. Grab your tickets at !
#womenintech
👩🏽💻
Honored to be recognized as a top three Young ATHENA Professional Award finalist alongside incredible women leading regional progress. Thank you to
@pghtech
for hosting the awards this year!
#womenlead
In awe by the # of resources available to entrepreneurs in PGH. I spent yesterday learning about marketing/branding from folks offering *free* advice because they’re that passionate about what they do. If you want to build something impactful, PGH is the place you want to be.
Small businesses will inevitably take a hit. This includes your PGH food truck community and
@indiaonwheelspa
. We’ve taken necessary precautions in order to stay open.
If you need Indian takeout, we’ll be open at University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University campuses.
Honored and thrilled to be inducted into the Monroeville Rotary Club as a Rotarian!
It’s an emotional and special moment to be able to give back to the community that generously invested in my future and ability to pursue higher education.
#ServiceAboveSelf
Looking forward to this conversation TODAY 3PM with
@FairDistrictsPA
. When we talk about legislative advocacy, gerrymandering should be the core of our conversations. Everyone loses when our legislature isn’t representative of our needs and communities.[Plus everyone loves maps]!
#Gerrymandering
means politicians choose their voters & never need to listen to constituents.
@beamdata
is hosting an event w
@FairDistrictsPA
speaker Tony Crocamo to explain why this matters now more than ever.
TODAY at 3 pm.
Absolutely thrilled to see our team at
@beamdata
make it into the top 5
@upprize
finalists. It’s been an incredible opportunity being apart of and learning about
#Pittsburgh
’s growing tech ecosystem. We’re looking forward to the final showcase in March!
We’ve seen countless examples of what happens when needs of black residents are sidelined. This data shows why development must be led by + for local residents. As Board Member of
#CivicallyInc
we’ve spent hours brainstorming how to center local voices to build bottom up equity.
Looking forward to pitching
@beamdata
at the
@upprize
Social Innovation Challenge this Thursday at the Carnegie Science Center! Get your tickets and come learn how our idea aims to ⬆️ voter turnout ➕ education!
#civictech
Spent a beautiful afternoon distributing fresh+free produce with
@CivicallyInc
and Mayor
@MaritaGarrett
in Wilkinsburg because grassroots engagement is how we build healthy communities
#happyfriday
Honored to be recognized as 30 Under 30 by
@PghBizTimes
It was an extra special evening learning from incredible women paving the path for our future.
#womenlead
.
@beamdata
is excited to be listed as an
@upprize
semi-finalist alongside other impactful organizations. Thank you
@BNYMellon
and
@iwpgh
for the opportunity to pitch and share our social innovation idea!
This past week I learned to fall in love with my own work all over again. Thank you for curating a memorable experience and helping me find a new lens
#VanguardSacramento
Want to connect with your State Senator? Interested in sharing pertinent community causes? There’s an app for that! Excited to be launching Be the Change App by
@beamdata
in the 43rd District with
@Senatorcosta
on August 6th! Read up and sign up! 🚀
I had a wonderful time yesterday attending the
@APAICS
PGH reception and supporting Asian American leading in government. Thanks for capturing these moments
@kannusahni
!
If you have 3 minutes, please answer a few questions for my founder friend,
@bhavinipatel_
. She ran for Allegheny County Council & is now building a civic accountability app that helps people connect w/ their elected officials. And she needs your input!
#MyNameIs
Bhavini. It’s a name with Indian (Sanskrit) origins. Bhavini means emotion. It’s also another way to describe the Goddess Parvati. I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris because they stand for compassion and integrity. Join me and make a plan to
#vote
Allegheny County Council Dem Caucus will interview candidates to fill the position of interim Council Member for Council District 8. Interviews will be public, and will take place beginning at 4PM on June 17 in Conference Rm 1 at Allegheny County Courthouse.
#beheard
#showup
Always great showing up and supporting orgs tht keep our civic communities thriving. Started at Happy Hour hosted by
@YoungDems_AGH
and
@NickforPA
in West Mifflin! Then over to a Holiday Reception by Vibrant PGH! Ended w/ Mayor
@MaritaGarrett
at her annual Civically Spelling Bee!
.
@beamdata
finally went live at ! 🗣 Follow your reps for legislative updates. 📣 Easily take
#civicaction
on issues you care about. Signing up takes 2 min! ✅
“Wake up every single day and command your business to grow.”
@heezo
🙌🏽 Excited to be learning from a phenomenal group of founders and mentors for the next 6 wks!👇🏽👏🏽
Data-driven government is about decision-making. But if decision-makers are not data-literate, you can have all the data scientists in the world in an agency but decisions won’t use their results – it will be as if the results are in Greek and no one translated.
#dataliteracy
It’s great to see data governance & literacy getting attention in the
#FedDataStrategy
, but it's crucial that
@OMBPress
support these ideas. Leadership & investment in capacity now will pay dividends long into the future. More from
@JaneMWiseman
:
I had an incredible time this year participating in the
@NextCityOrg
#VanguardSacramento
cohort. Their thoughtful journalism inspires me + the work I do. Read their work + apply to the next Vanguard cohort! Good work also requires financial support, so I’ll hope you’ll donate. 👇🏽
Exciting updates on Be the Change by
@beamdata
coming tomorrow! Now more than ever we need more constructive ways to build dialogue with our state legislators and neighbors. Following and advocating for our communities should be easier and friendlier. Stay tuned! 🥰🗣
Closing in on my goal of 25 books this year. Had a mix of tech, fiction, historical biographies, and self-help. What are you reading? Prepping my list for 2020
#currentlyreading
I had a lovely time today at the Triveni Center in Monroeville talking about how to inspire and build voter registration and engagement across all communities! Also wonderful seeing Mandal Singh who was newly elected to serve on the Gateway School Board.
Views from Friday’s food distribution with Mayor
@MaritaGarrett
,
@PghFoodBank
, and Free Store Wilkinsburg () We had more than enough for all that came and the extra meals went to the Free Store and
@LightofLife
to be shared out 💜
Informative write up by
@AnniaAleman
on why
@PGH_Lab
is a win-win situation for startups/local government. Startups gain valuable insight on how to develop key features of solutions, and they can explore if solutions will achieve desired goals. Excited to join cohort
#5
! 👏🏽👇🏽
#2020Census
determines allocation of funds for SNAP/Medicaid and more. It determines Congressional apportionment - PA risks losing representation in 2020.
@beamdata
is launching
#CensusForACause
at the Inclusive Innovation Summit. We can help your Census outreach!
#WeInnovatePGH
Spent the day with a group of community leaders, strategizing on how to build a stronger future for the Bhutanese community in Western, PA. Thrilled to be invited to join the Board of
@BhutaneseCAP
and be a part of their journey
#CommunityImpact
My brother and I grew up coming to the
@PghZoo
and it was so special to share those memories with my niece today! She’s all about the fishes and flamingos!
The
#2020Census
is one of the most politically important and undiscussed issues when it comes to building inclusive communities. Thank you
@BettyHCruz
and
@AndreaCStanford
for leading a critical effort
Great to welcome the newest cohort to the City's
@PGH_Lab
. Local startups Bestie,
@allvision_io
and
@beamdata
are creating exciting partnerships with the City
Why are reports still released as static documents?
Dynamic/interactive data tools are likelier to be used by community advocates/organizations to guide their impact work.
No one wants to sift through pages and pages of numbers.
#dataforgood
Civically will be hosting a holiday happy hour at The Warehouse Pub in Squirrel Hill from 5:30-7:30 on 12/18! Funds support Wilkinsburg. Can't make it? Consider buying/giving a ticket away to someone who could use a Tuesday night pick me up!
#tistheseason
@MaritaGarrett
Thank you for referencing
@beamdata
’s work at the intersection of data, qualitative research and social issues at the
@Coro_Pittsburgh
diversity in entrepreneurship event today
@EWGriffinEL
! You were incredibly insightful and thoughtful with your responses!
@ssgyawali
Great time attending the Annual SEAD Democrats Picnic and seeing friends! This event always serves as a wonderful reminder of the important work being done across the region to support our candidates!
#VoteBlue2022
Kicking off the day with
#KLGatesIWD2020
. People don’t leave jobs, people don’t leave corporations. People leave people.” Wise words from panelist
@AradhnaOliphant
. What are you doing to sponsor women in your life? Thank you for organizing a thoughtful conversation
@LawlessTracy
!
Dear PGH fam: a few of us submitted a proposal for
@GEOfunders
2020 National Conference.
Title is "Collaborative Data Collection & Evaluation: Barriers, Opportunities, and Capacity Building Needs"
Vote below, so we can share how PGH is moving on nonprofit data collection.
How do we assess mechanisms for data collection to ensure data collected includes all communities, and that innovation is creating positive impact for communities in need?
Exploring
#FutureofCities
report by
@CPI_foundation
. We need more of these conversations in
#PGH
Treated myself to a trip to
#ClassicLines
bookstore and picked up
#JaneJacobs
“Money has its limitations. It cannot buy inherent success for cities where the conditions for inherent success are lacking and where the use of money fails to supply them.”
Excited to represent and be apart of Pitt Alumni Advocacy Advisory in Harrisburg because diversity at the table matters. Thanks for including my Pitt story in this article!
#H2P
@PittTweet
read more 👉🏽
On March 26, 2019, University of Pittsburgh alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends had the change to speak to state legislators at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, urging them to make Pitt a budget priority. Read our recap below!
Thrilled to join the
@SecGenPAC
! “Our dynamic Board made last year’s victories in Southeastern PA possible,” said
@JoeKhanEsq
Chair of Second Generation. “We’re delighted Bhavini’s leadership/energy will help drive our mission to empower marginalized immigrant communities.”
@bhavinipatel_co
-founder of
@beamdata
and member of our Swissvale pod, is teaming up with the City of Pittsburgh to improve citizen engagement with the Housing Authority! 🌟 We're excited to see the great things that Beamdata will do for Pittsburgh!
I had an incredible time joining
@APAICS
National Leadership Academy +
@NextCityOrg
Vanguard Sacramento last year. Two impactful organizations w/ open applications. APAICS is taking apps for their Congressional Fellowship and Next City put out a call for Vanguard in NC. APPLY!
There are difference btw “open data” + “usable data.”
How can we works towards open data initiatives that actually allow people to glean insight?
If cities claim support for open data initiatives, let’s begin by adequately funding + valuing data work.
#opendata
#localgov
These past months,
@beamdata
has served on the City/County Complete Count Committee as Data Subcommittee partners.
We’ve spent time brainstorming + relaying how data/tech can play a critical role in achieving a complete
#2020Census
.
#dataforgood
#PGH
Thankful for an evening participating in a panel discussion on the economic challenges AAPI entrepreneurs are facing amidst
#COVID19
alongside
@IneffableCaPhe
. Thanks to
@WelcomingPGH
, the City of PGH and Governor Wolf’s AAPI Commission for hosting.
#supportlocal
#buylocal
Informative read on
#OpportunityZones
in
#PGH
by
@PublicSourcePA
. Would be fascinating to see an overlay of Opportunity Zone qualifying neighborhoods with communities at risk of gentrification. I bet we could uncover something there.
#dataforgood
YESSS!!! Absolutely thrilled see this. This is the essence of intentionally building equity into institutions that have historically marginalized communities of color. I would’ve never been able to attend
@UniofOxford
without a scholarship. Thank you for leading
@ArlanWasHere
💪🏽
It’s my sincere pleasure to announce the Oxford-Arlan Hamilton & Earline Butler Sims Scholarship for Black scholars🧚🏽♂️ My mother and I are funding a full rise scholarship for both
@UniofOxford
(a first-of-its-kind for the uni) + (HBCU) Dillard University.
A heartfelt thank you to the Woodland Hills School District teachers and staff for lifting up our communities in many incredible ways.
Yesterday our teachers participated in the active shooter preparedness solutions training to ensure safety of our students.