Cori Bush, Former Member of "The Squad" in the U.S. House, Joins Ida's Legacy for Annual Summer Mixer

Cori Bush
Cori Bush

Cori Bush, Former Member of "The Squad" in the U.S. House, Joins Ida's Legacy for Annual Summer Mixer


In 2017, Ida's Legacy was formed as the first political action committee to support progressive African American women candidates in Illinois. At our first summer mixer, Legacy & Libations, our featured guests were four women representing various stages of their political journeys. Sharon Fairley, who ran for the first time to be the state's attorney general; Nicole Johnson, who ran for the first time to be 20th Ward alderperson; Donna Miller, who had run for state Senate and was considering her next campaign; and Lauren Underwood, who had beat six opponents in her primary for Congress, all shared their campaign experiences of being under estimated and under funded.


This year, we are featuring one of Underwood's former colleagues, U.S. Representative Cori Bush. The activist, nurse, pastor and community leader served two terms as representative of St. Louis' 1st Congressional District. She was the first woman, the first nurse and the first activist from the Black Lives Matter Movement elected to Congress.


Like the people she represented in St. Louis and Ferguson, Missouri, Congresswoman Bush knows the struggles that many in her community are facing. She personally experienced being unhoused and evicted. She is a survivor of police, sexual and domestic violence. According to the St. Louis native, her mission in Congress, as in the rest of her life, was to do the very most for all of the people of her district, starting with those who have the very least.


Bush lost her reelection bid last year, which was one of the most expensive in history. Special interest groups spent $19 million to defeat her for being outspoken about the ongoing lack of humanitarian conditions in Gaza.


"I will keep leading with consistent love and consistent respect for all people no matter their background, no matter the color of their skin or where they were born. I will continue to fight for every person's right to live, to love and to thrive. I will keep standing up for a free Palestine, for a free Haiti, for a free Congo, for a free Sudan, for a free St. Louis, for a free America and for a free democracy," said Bush during her farewell speech on the House floor.


Bush said she knew the possible consequences, but made a decision to be change, not chained.


"My radical and unconditional love for humanity is not a weakness, it's my superpower," said the nurse, pastor and activist.


The St. Louis native will join Ida's Legacy, Thursday, August 14, 2025 at Truth's Italian Restaurant, 56 E. Pershing Rd., from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. to discuss our nation's current state of politics, the role of Black women and where we go from here. For ticket information, visit www.idaslegacy.com or call 312-948-9951.

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