Aparna Raj has called DC home for a decade. Driven by her experiences as renter, union member and queer woman of color, she is running for Council in Ward 1 to ensure that every Ward 1 constituent is able to afford to live here and contribute to our shared community for years to come.
Like many who call our Ward home, Aparna knows how precarious it is to make ends meet. As a child, she heard her mom’s stories about being unable to take sick time as a recent immigrant to the United States, working minimum wage in retail. And when her dad lost his job in 2009, her family scrambled to figure out how to make ends meet. As her parents age, the possibility of a medical emergency throwing them into bankruptcy looms. Aparna and her husband, like many others in DC, want to be able to settle down and build a life here, but are feeling the crunch of the rising cost of living.
"We shouldn't have to struggle just to get by. Our leaders need to do right by the people, not billionaires."
These family experiences were eye-opening, and inspired Aparna to volunteer with the Metro DC Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the largest non-union membership organization in the region. Through Metro DC DSA, Aparna has organized for tenants rights, for better conditions for workers, and against the Trump administration. Aparna has consistently and unabashedly advocated for bodily autonomy, abortion access and protections for our immigrant neighbors.
Her life has been defined by her fight for everyone to have a place to call home: Aparna has served on the ANC 1A Housing Justice and Zoning Committee, advocating to build housing that meets people’s needs, instead of prioritizing developer profits. And she’s organized tenants in Ward 1 and across DC to take on their landlords, fight slum conditions, and win rent concessions. She has taken on the real estate lobby to defend and expand tenant protections.
As a union member, Aparna served on her unit’s bargaining committee to win pay increases and better benefits for her and her coworkers. She fought to raise the tipped minimum wage in DC and has been active in supporting DC’s workers, from picketing alongside restaurant workers, bus drivers, and mechanics, to rallying in defense of federal workers and all workers across the district.
Devoted to supporting the community, Aparna has helped deliver groceries to seniors in Ward 1, has tutored local students, conducted immigrant Know Your Rights training during the first Trump administration, and previously worked at a nonprofit addressing food insecurity in DC. She lives in Columbia Heights with her husband, Stuart, and their little dog, Frank.
She’s running for office because now, more than ever, we need a Council for the many, not the few.
"In the face of Trump's attempts to intimidate us and scare us into silence, we need to come together and fight for all of our communities."
"For every senior forced to live in terrible conditions, for every child going hungry, and for every family struggling to stay in DC - we can imagine a better future."
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