Annette Nance-Holt is a gun violence survivor and prevention advocate and is the first woman and first Black woman to serve as Chicago Fire Department Commissioner.
Washington, D.C.-(ENEWSPF)- Representative Robin Kelly (IL-02) will be joined by Chicago Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt as her guest to President Biden’s State of the Union Address to Congress on Tuesday, February 7.
Nance-Holt, with a career spanning three decades with the Chicago Fire Department, is a trailblazer in her community. In 2007, she lost her son Blair to a tragic shooting while he was on a CTA bus leaving his school. In response, she founded a support, education, and advocacy group with fellow gun violence survivor Pam Bosley and other parents, calling the group Purpose Over Pain. The group continues to serve survivors of our nation’s gun violence epidemic in the Chicago area and surrounding suburbs. She broke the glass ceiling in Chicago when she became the first woman and first Black woman to ever lead the department, with Mayor Lori Lightfoot nominating her as Fire Commissioner in 2021.
Attending the State of the Union address, Nance-Holt is eager to listen to President Biden’s plans to prevent future tragedies like the one that took her son’s life. Representative Robin Kelly has stood by Nance-Holt for years, fighting for and passing common-sense gun safety legislation in the House of Representatives.
The State of the Union Address will highlight the achievements that House Democrats and President Biden have delivered over the past two years and the work that Democrats are doing to defend our American values.
“Thanks to House Democrats and President Biden, our country has made tremendous progress for everyday families. Democrats have delivered long overdue investments in infrastructure, landmark legislation to lower health care costs and tackle the climate crisis, a comprehensive effort to bring manufacturing jobs home, and action to prevent gun violence,” said Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02). “People like Annette Nance-Holt are the reason why Congress has made so much progress under President Biden. Her work on the ground, in communities, inspires me to come to Washington every day and continue to push for change. There is so much left to be done to prevent senseless gun violence, and I am thrilled to have Annette by my side, in this fight.”
“I am honored to join Representative Kelly at the State of the Union Address to hear from President Biden about the progress we have made and the work we still have to do to defend American values,” said Nance-Holt. “As a survivor of gun violence, I know what we need to do to make this country a better place for everyone. I look forward to hearing from President Biden about his plans to further address the gun violence epidemic, which is a public health crisis. I am proud to stand alongside Congresswoman Kelly, a longstanding advocate for gun violence prevention, to ensure that this issue is front and center. I feel confident that President Biden has been and will continue working to move this country in the right direction.”
“CFD Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt is one of Chicago’s finest leaders in addition to being a passionate advocate for gun violence prevention,” said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “It is an honor to see our city and our values on community safety represented at the State of the Union Address. I want to thank Congresswoman Kelly for including Annette in this moment, but most of all I thank her for her tireless commitment to eradicating gun violence.”
