Karine Jean-Pierre

I was born in Martinique.

Being a teacher was very important to me.

I am one of those people... where statistically I am not supposed to be where I am today, statistically that's what I was told growing up. I am not supposed to be in the space having an office in the West Wing.

AIPAC's values are not progressive values.

There's something called the Hatch Act that I have to be very mindful of.

I think if you are passionate about what you want to be or where you want to go and you work very hard to that goal, it will happen. And, yes, you'll be knocked down and you'll have some tough times. And it won't be easy all the time, but the rewards are pretty amazing, especially if you stay true to yourself.

For most of my adult life, I've walked around in a body that's been undervalued, under skepticism and underestimated.

Follow your passion. Follow what you believe in. And just keep that focus, because that matters.

We were wrong when we defined 'civility' as saying the wrong things the right way.

You cannot call yourself a progressive while continuing to associate yourself with an organization like AIPAC that has often been the antithesis of what it means to be progressive.

I was a phone canvasser, and I was terrible at it. It's really hard to ask for money, especially over the phone.

My parents taught me by example what it means to be American: to hope and to dream, and to work hard for those hopes and dreams.

Unfortunately, AIPAC's policy and conference speaker choices aren't its only problems. Its severely racist, Islamophobic rhetoric has proven just as alarming. The organization has become known for trafficking in anti-Muslim and anti-Arab rhetoric while lifting up Islamophobic voices and attitudes.

Being an advocate and a voice was very important to me.

Whether it's a job or life choice, make sure you're figuring out what makes you motivated, not what motivates everyone else.

Anti-Muslim and anti-Arab rhetoric doesn't simply sit in a silo. It interacts with the world, creating and fuming hatred that leads to hateful acts, whether the package is individual hate crimes - or collective - the Muslim ban.

In 2018, I witnessed Americans all over the country vote in the most diverse Congress in history, repudiating the Trump administration's regime of white supremacy.

Donald Trump's legacy is not simply speckled with incidents of racism; it itself is racist.

I had a lot of ups and downs. Being an immigrant in this country is incredibly difficult.

When it comes down to it, AIPAC's policies are not progressive policies.

As a former political analyst for MSNBC, I'm used to speaking extemporaneously. But there's one line I have memorized - my credentials. Here it is: I've worked on four presidential campaigns, served in the White House, run political campaigns and graduated from and teach at an Ivy League institution.

One of the things that we do is we elevate people. We put them on pedestals, and people are flawed. No one is perfect.

In 2005, I was asked to manage my first-ever political campaign.

Avoidance and delays aren't neutral; they send a very clear message.

Democratic lawmakers increasingly rely on people of color to show up at the polls to remain in office, but following an unfortunately familiar pattern, then ignore the views of the very people responsible for voting them into office.

In its attempts to ruin the Iran deal, AIPAC supported the group that's credited with inspiring President Trump to enact the Muslim Ban and has been known to spread anti-Muslim racism.

Candidates inspire you. When they inspire you, you believe in them. It becomes kind of cultish in some weird way and so you have to really be able to separate that.

I will never forget working in the White House for the first Black president.

I know Joe Biden well. I find him incredibly endearing.

I spent my whole childhood, my college years, thinking that I was going to be a doctor.

I was the oldest of three and there was tons of pressure on me to succeed.

Many people when they file their taxes, they count on the funds that they're going to get back from their tax returns.

Coming from a working-class family, not having a lot of money, it's hard to get into politics because it's known for being for young people who come from financial wealth. So, I primarily ran up credit cards.

Look, when I came to this country, my parents, like many immigrants, are looking for a better life. And in their minds for their children, the way that they saw success is they wanted me to become a doctor, a lawyer, or engineer, that is what they perceived as success.

The day of Trump's inauguration, he talked about 'American carnage.' I was providing political analysis for PBS NewsHour, so I had to watch it live. I felt hopeless. But then the Women's March happened.

Trump wants people like me and my family to be scared. He leads out of fear, because that's what he is: fearful, of who we are and what we are capable of when we use hope and love to guide us.

Voters in 2020 are going to back candidates who've got their backs - and those candidates are progressives who won't compromise on the backs of the American people.

Progressive candidates don't hesitate when it comes to supporting universal health care, or the fight for $15 minimum wage, or the right to vote.

Voters are excited about progressive candidates because they're fighting for our interests, not special interests.

If a person espouses hatred, we need to call that out.

Representation does matter. You hear us say this often in this administration, and no one understands this better than President Biden.

I am a Black, gay, immigrant woman.

Once I have that positive attitude, I bring that into work and try to lift up everybody around me.

I once had a job where I was essentially a fundraiser assistant. It was a volunteer thing I was doing, and I didn't like it.

I grew up in Hempstead, NY, and my very first job was working for an environmental organization.

The 2018 elections gave Democrats a landslide victory in the House and showed that voters are eager if not desperate to hold Trump accountable.

When you ask who I am, my parents are from Haiti. So we have an amazing history of the first Black republic... that is something that I hold very dear, very close to me.

Nixon's impeachment-forced resignation gutted trust of the Republican party for years.

We were founded on the idea that all people are created equal, and while that notion of who counts as a person - who deserves equality - has evolved over time, the point remains: America was founded as bastion of freedom, and equality. That is the America I know.

The beauty of America is its freedoms and the promise that you can achieve your dreams, no matter your race, sex, country of origin, sexual orientation or gender identity. This is something we continue to strive toward and fight for.