Newton letter: Why I support Jesse Mermell as an international student

As an international student, I came to the United States in 2018, uncertain of what the “US politics” I’d read so much about would be like. In the news, American politics is presented as inescapable, but once I arrived, it truly surprised me that you could find whatever political atmosphere you were looking for. There are spaces where people dog-whistle discrimination, there are spaces where people just don’t care (and have the privilege not to) and there are spaces where people advocate tirelessly for their communities.

I wanted to find that last kind of space, and that is exactly where Jesse Mermell has been for her entire career. She has been advocating for the people of this district: on the Brookline Select Board as their youngest representative, in Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration as a senior advisor, at Planned Parenthood as an executive and at the Alliance for Business Leadership as their president.

Like I said, you can easily find spaces where people “just don’t care about politics” and coming to the US, I was stunned how many people chose that option. Mermell is not one of them. For 20 years she has actively chosen to be on the frontlines of fighting for a fair economy, reproductive health, affordable housing and transportation. These issues — and many more — come naturally to her as a champion for equity and progressive values.

Having listened to Mermell and researched her extensive track record, I know she will be the best representative for MA04, a place I now consider a second home.

—Lai Lai Liu

Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill