Nnedi Stephens

Please share briefly what inspired you to run for this office and why you feel you’re qualified for the position.

Growing up in Reno, I have seen how this city has changed for the better (increased economic development and diversification, increased cultural diversity and awareness, etc.), but there is still work to do. Northern Nevada, and in particular SD-13, has been hit with a devastating affordable housing crisis and inadequate access to mental and behavioral health services compounding the myriad of ways in which systemic oppression creates the chasm of difference between the more affluent parts of the Reno/Sparks area and the historically red-lined areas. Having watched the Senate for a few years now, I have seen how big, structural changes can be made by people who care about making a positive difference. I want to bring my experience working as a caregiver and a public servant to Carson City to advocate on behalf of the constituents of SD13 and uplift the voices of marginalized communities.

Given the success of the marijuana industry, should Nevada create a better licensing framework for consumption lounges which would allow tourists an opportunity to legally consume marijuana products?

Yes. Nevada is in a unique position to diversify its tourism industry and we should take advantage of the opportunity. It is no different than having bars available to those 21 and up. Further, this is an opportunity to make the industry more equitable through a restorative criminal justice lens.

Would you support allocating more state funds to help DACA recipients to help with higher education?

Yes, I do.

As Las Vegas lives in the wake of the worst mass shooting in modern history, what do you think it will take to end the gun violence epidemic and violence in our communities?

To solve the issue of gun violence in this country, we must treat it as the public health crisis that it is. We must introduce and pass more common-sense gun control laws regarding training and concealed carry should be standardized, comprehensive gun safety measures, gun training requirements, along with implementing body armor and large and/or frequent ammo purchases tracking via NCIC or a state database. We need better education for people in positions of authority, particularly those working with younger people and teens so that they can identify and respond to the warning signs that adolescent school shooters exhibit and fund appropriate non-judicial interventions. When it comes to the issue of making criminal laws stronger, I must focus in on the fact that Black people, other people of color, and people with disabilities are more likely to be tried, convicted, and given harsher sentences than their white, able-bodied counterparts. Black people legally carrying firearms have been murdered by law enforcement for exercising their second amendment rights. We must ensure any laws are passed cannot be used against marginalized communities and instead focus on fighting back against the dehumanization of Black and Brown bodies as it pertains to gun violence committed by both civilians and police.

Nevada has historically protected the right to abortion, including protecting the right in statute 30 years ago by a vote of the people. However, there remain barriers to access in the state. Do you support not only the right to abortion but policies that improve equitable access to abortion care?

Yes, absolutely. Abortion should be available widely, and I support health insurers within the state being required to cover the procedure. Further, I would support an overhaul of federal law to cover abortions through Medicaid. Abortion access and reproductive justice is an issue that affects everyone with uterus and we must talk about this issue in a way that is inclusive to all people.

The state of Nevada is facing an unprecedented shortage of health care providers – a problem that impacts every area of medicine, including the provision of sexual and reproductive care. Do you support removing the physician-only requirement and allowing advanced practice clinicians (APCs) to provide this vital care to patients with training and certification?

Yes

Comprehensive, age and developmentally appropriate, medically-accurate, inclusive sex education has been proven to improve students’ long-term health outcomes, yet it is not required that students be provided with this information in their sex-ed programs. Do you believe that public school sex-ed programs should be comprehensive, medically accurate, and inclusive?

Yes. I also support the inclusion of sexual education programming for younger students to protect them from sexual abuse and exploitation by providing them the language and understanding of their bodies and boundaries they need to report any disturbing, illegal conduct from adults in whose care they are entrusted.

It is well documented that patients of color face greater obstacles to obtaining sexual and reproductive health care than non-Hispanic white Americans – a pattern that results in worse health outcomes overall for BIPOC patients. Do you not only acknowledge systemic racism’s role in public health disparities but will you pursue policies that seek to rectify the historical harm of systemic racism and advance equitable access to health care?

Yes, systemic and institutionalized racism have had a disproportionate impact on the lives of Black people, indigenous people, and other people of color since the founding of this nation, including but not limited to the rates of Black maternal mortality, the history of sterilization committed by the US Government, and the barbaric origins of the gynecologic practice as spearheaded by J. Marion Sims. There is no way to undo the harm that had been brought on these communities but I will work to bring forth legislative and community-oriented solutions to eliminate these disparities and prevent any future harm from occurring.

Knowing that the death penalty is exorbitantly expensive, racially discriminatory, and does not promote true healing for victims family members, do you support its abolition and do you think ending the death penalty is a crucial part of criminal justice reform?

Yes, I do.

True Colors United, a national organization that implements innovative solutions to youth homelessness that focus on the unique experiences of LGBTQ+ young people continues to rate Nevada as critically low, for its State Index on Youth Homelessness (in collaboration with the National Homelessness Law Center) that ranks and scores laws and policies related to preventing and addressing youth homelessness in the United States. Are you willing to support legislation that helps to fund and provide oversight regulations to youth homelessness services?

Yes, I do.

Anti-transgender bills are being introduced across the United States that attempt to trans prevent people from having access to health care, gender reassignment surgery, and access to sports in schools. Do you support transgender equality and access to healthcare and an athletic school experience?

Unequivocally, yes and I will vehemently fight against any proposed anti-trans legislation in Nevada.

We have seen rental rates increasing at a very alarming rate, in some instances upwards of 30%. How do you see the Nevada Legislature taking action to keep Nevadans in their homes and not being priced out?

The issue of housing and the lack of affordable housing options is an issue that is affecting Nevadans of all races, genders, and most socioeconomic backgrounds. The average cost of a home is far out of reach for too many Nevadans, especially given the skyrocketing rental market. I will work with housing advocates and relevant stakeholders to produce creative solutions to promote and build affordable housing and further study the rental market, as well as create a study into the best ways to strengthen renter’s rights and protections. Finally, I will collaborate with my colleagues to pass a tenant's bill of rights to protect against exorbitant rent increases and penalize landlords who attempt to illegally evict or intimidate tenants.

State investments in conservation provide resources for a wide range of public benefit, like the management of wildlife and state land, and the creation and maintenance of trails and other recreational facilities. In 2019, the Legislature approved $217 million of bonding authority for conservation purposes, including for the acquisition of land for new state parks. A) Do you support or oppose state investment in conservation? B) Has Nevada’s investment in land conservation been too little, too much, or about right, and how would you change it?

I support investment in conservation but specifically where we can invest and uplift local tribal communities in local land management. I believe we should allocate more money towards conservation, hiring more state park rangers, and working with the Nevada Grant Office to procure more federal funding for these conservation efforts.

Nevada has one of the largest shares of federal public land of any state in the country, providing important wildlife habitat, places to hunt, camp, fish and hike, and acting as the foundation of a billion dollar outdoor industry. Even so, some lawmakers have promoted policies that seek wholesale transfer of federal ownership of our national lands to states. A) Would you support or oppose these land transfer policies? B) Would should the State of Nevada’s role be in the management and ownership of federal land?

I oppose these policies as this can lead to the sale of precious federal resources and parks to land developers and unscrupulous farming and ranching practices. The State of Nevada should be a partner in land management with the BLM and tribal governments.

What legislative action would you take to address the ongoing COVID crisis in communities of color due to mistrust, targeted disinformation, and lack of culturally competent messaging that includes language accessibility?

I would push for the Department of Health and Human Services to reach out to community leaders, liaisons, and grassroots organizations to work together in crafting messaging that stems from cultural humility and that exemplifies true language accessibility. Further, I would support policies that would address this by 1) decolonizing the way in which our medical professionals are taught from the diversity of staff to the diversity of teaching materials and images 2) creating ways for patients to provide feedback on the cultural competency of their providers making it easier to identify the providers in need of future training, and 3) provide more funding for more community health programs to help with preventative health care interventions

Would you support addressing public health disparities in Nevada’s diverse Spanish speaking population by funding a “Promotores de Salud” program through the Nevada Office of New Americans that provides year round, culturally competent education and community engagement in Spanish on public health issues?

Yes

How do you envision working within your state to pass care legislation (i.e. child care, elder care, paid leave, paid sick leave, and disability care) that will ensure that women of color and working families can easily access the care they need?

Nevada's workers often face a crisis when a family member or child is sick or when child care is unaffordable. I support the expanding of current state credits available for childcare and raising the income ceiling. Further, we must pass legislation requiring paid sick leave, particularly as the pandemic continues to sicken workers. Finally, I applaud the legislature for passing the public option and believe we should make this available as soon as possible to our workforce. As more and more people are diagnosed with long-term disabilities due to COVID-19, we must double down on efforts to create a society that is accessible with the goal of universal design.

What are you doing to center communities of color and low income communities in your work and how do you ensure that equity is part of every decision you make?

Social justice has been a huge part of my volunteer experience, my experience working on campaigns, and my tenure as a public servant at both the state and federal levels. We need to fight for a more equitable society and root out vestiges of white supremacy, patriarchy, and oppression. My current job is the Vice President of Search for Meso Solutions, a hiring firm that works with progressive organizations across the country to help ensure equitable and inclusive hiring practices. in my role, I specialize in hiring executive-level positions and I ensure that applicants at every stage of the hiring process must clearly demonstrate an understanding of how white supremacy shows up in management and how they will work to actively uproot it through systems of evaluation, horizontal management practices, and encouraging radical self-care among their direct reports and the organization as a whole. I believe in uplifting and centering the voices of marginalized communities because they are most directly affected by several of the issues presented in this questionnaire and more. Lastly, I push everyone around me to critically examine the ways in which white supremacy underscores many of our institutions and legal frameworks, as well as personal relationships at work, in professional organizations, and in everyday life. We cannot have true liberation until we are all free and that is a goal I hope to achieve.

Communities of color are most impacted by air pollution; what would you do to ensure that our communities can breathe cleaner air?

One of the most deleterious effects of redlining has been the placement of industrial plants near low income and BIPOC majority communities that are leading to disproportionate rates of illnesses such as respiratory diseases and cancer, but in general, we should invest in retrofitting large occupancy residential buildings with air filtration systems, provide air purifiers to low-income families through various non-profit organizations, and examine ways to incentivize the purchase of electric and high mileage vehicles through sales tax credits and/or reduced registration fees.

Latinx communities are extremely concerned about the drought and ongoing water shortages. What would you do to ensure our families have a sustainable water supply, not just now but also future generations?

We should impose stricter water use guidelines and use them proactively, not just when we are in drought conditions. Further, we should critically examine the amount of water used by casinos, land developers, agricultural and ranching industries, and recreational facilities, such as golf courses. Often, these industries engage in wasteful uses of water, and incentivizing better practices or creating disincentives through fines or other punishments must be examined as climate change further impacts our ability to stay out of drought conditions.

Will you practice a just transition approach to Nevada’s clean energy & sustainability plans while holding accountable those who must consult and collaborate with Nevada’s Tribal Nations on decisions which may negatively impact their indigenous lifeways?

Yes

The APIA community faces the largest unmet financial needs when it comes to higher education. Nevada has the highest student loan default rate in the country. In Nevada, there are 333,100 student loan borrowers, $11.5 Billion in student loan debt, and $34,700 in average debt per borrower. What policies can we implement to ensure students and families are protected from predatory lenders and undue financial burdens?

We must look at penalizing bad actors and forgiving the student debt of those who have been preyed upon in the past. Further expanding the availability of state-backed scholarships, grants, and loans can help with unburdening families, as well as making tuition to Nevada's community colleges and trade schools free to low and middle income families to give them a leg up in attending college and obtaining a degree. We should also examine the creation of a state fund to assist with the cost of advanced degrees, including master's programs, JD and MD programs, and other PhD programs, particularly for health care, mental health, and educational industries. By creating loan forgiveness for agreeing to practice within Nevada for a set period of time, we can train and retain young professionals. Through every step of these efforts, we must engage the community on the best avenues to provide these resources in a way that prioritizes language accessibility and promotes cultural humility.

One out of seven people in Clark County are food insecure. What policies would you propose to ensure people are not residing in food deserts and have access to healthy food and water sources?

I am passionate about eradicating food deserts statewide. All Nevadans, children, and adults deserve easy access to fresh produce. Far too many people live where it is difficult to access affordable nutritious food. We can work together through state programs and mutual aid groups to address this issue. We can incentivize the development of grocery stores in low-income areas through tax credits and opportunity zones, expand WIC representatives to have pop-up clinics to get Nevadans connected for benefits and work with tribal partners to ensure that indigenous children and adults have access to nutritious food.