Anastasia Somoza (born 1983 or 1984[1]) is an American disability rights advocate. Born with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia, she became involved in advocacy in a 1993 televised townhall with United States president Bill Clinton where as a nine-year-old she asked that her twin sister, who is also disabled, be allowed to join her in a mainstream classroom. Somoza spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and in 2018 was appointed the first liaison to the disability community for the New York City Council. In 2024, she is serving as the disability engagement director for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.
Anastasia Somoza | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983 or 1984 (age 40–41) |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University, London School of Economics |
| Occupation | Disability rights advocate |
| Years active | 1993 – present |
| Family | Anastasio Somoza García (great grandfather); Luis Somoza Debayle (grandfather) |
Early life and family
editSomoza has an identical twin sister, Alba; both were born with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia.[2] She also has an older brother and younger sister, and was born[3] and grew up in Manhattan where her mother Mary, an immigrant from Ireland, was an advisor to mayor David Dinkins and governor Mario Cuomo on disabled children.[1] Her father Gerardo immigrated from Nicaragua with his mother when he was 12; he is the son and grandson, respectively, of Nicaraguan presidents Luis Somoza Debayle and Anastasio Somoza García.[1][4]
Somoza began her disability rights advocacy at nine years old, appearing on a 1993 televised townhall with president Bill Clinton where she asked that her twin, who cannot speak and uses a computer to communicate, be allowed in a mainstream classroom as she was.[1] Clinton intervened, together with the efforts of the Somoza parents, and Alba was allowed to join the general education classroom.[2]
Somoza graduated from Georgetown University in 2007, majoring in government and minoring in English, then attended the London School of Economics where she earned a master’s of science in human rights.[5][2]
Career
editSomoza interned for Hillary Clinton in the United States Senate and worked on her 2020 Senate campaign.[6] Somoza spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2016,[7] emphasizing the agency of disabled people[8] and criticizing Donald Trump, who had ridiculed a disabled reporter the previous year.[6] She received a standing ovation[9] and her speech later appeared in a Clinton campaign ad, contrasting her comments with Trump’s attack.[10] Somoza was then working for the disability organization the Shield Institute, and served as a campaign surrogate for the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.[5] In 2018, she was appointed by New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson to be the first liaison to the disability community for the council.[3]
In 2024, she is disability engagement director for the Kamala Harris presidential campaign.[11]
Personal life
editSomoza became friends with comedian Amy Poehler after Poehler responded to a letter from the Somoza family and apologized for a 2008 Saturday Night Live sketch in which she mocked Somoza and her twin sister.[12][13]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "TWIN'S PLEA LEAVES CLINTON SPEECHLESS". Deseret News. 1993-02-23. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ a b c Dwyer, Jim (July 26, 2016). "For Twin Sisters, a Road to Progress That Began by Bending a President's Ear". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Meet the City Council's first liaison to the disability community". ny1.com. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ "NIETA DE EX PDTE LUIS SOMOZA APOYA A CLINTON". 100% Noticias (in Spanish). July 26, 2016. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ a b "Anastasia Somoza Takes Center Stage". College of Arts & Sciences. 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ a b Vales, Leinz (2016-07-26). "Disability advocate steals spotlight at DNC | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ Voorhees, Josh (2016-07-26). "Disability Rights Advocate Slams Donald Trump in DNC Speech". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ Matthews, Dylan (2016-07-29). "4 winners and 3 losers from the final night of the Democratic National Convention". Vox. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ Mejia, Lisette (2016-07-26). "The Emotional DNC Moment You Probably Didn't Hear About but Should". Popsugar. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ "New Clinton ad slams Trump for mocking disabled reporter". The Hill. 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ Ladyzhets, Betsy (2024-09-24). "Millions of Americans have long COVID: Will Kamala Harris acknowledge them?". The 19th. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ "Amy Poehler: Saturday Night Live Skit on Cerebral Palsy Hurt, Then Empowered". People.com. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ "Anastasia Somoza Casts Her Vote for Hillary". Yahoo Life. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2024-10-12.