Nina is an Early Childhood National Campaign Director and Florida Director at MomsRising/MamásConPoder where she has been organizing moms and families across the nation for over a decade on family economic security issues. Nina has been interviewed in numerous local and national news outlets, including PBS NewsHour, the New York Times, and The Guardian. On child care policy, Nina has testified in front of Congress for the Ways and Means Committee as an expert in her field. Nina's career has focused on ending the oppression and exploitation of women and girls. She was previously a Program Manager at Community Family Life Services supporting direct services and leadership with low-income communities in Washington, DC. Nina was also a founding member and Program Coordinator for the Young Women Leaders Program at the University of Central Florida. and lives in Jax, FL with her loving partner, inquisitive child, spunky cats, and books.
Blog Post List

January 20, 2017
The Women’s March on Washington and hundreds of sister marches are TOMORROW ! We are excited, fired up, and ready to GO GO GO! Tomorrow , MomsRising will be standing up with our families, children, neighbors, and hundreds of partnering organizations to protect our rights, our safety, our families, and our democracy, and to say NO to hate. Look for our banners! To make sure we’re all ready for the big day, we’ve put together some must-have resources below to make sure marchers (whether you’re marching in-person or cheering on from home) have everything they need: Women’s March on Washington, D...
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Join Us!

January 12, 2017
On January 21, MomsRising is standing in solidarity with our families, children, neighbors, and hundreds of partnering women's organizations at the upcoming historic Women's March on Washington -- to protect our rights, our safety, our families, and our democracy, and to say NO to hate. How about you? Whether you're marching in the district, attending an event in your local hometown, or showing your solidarity online - we want know! Sign up by following this link and we'll keep you updated and send you details on how you can connect with MomsRising virtually during the march.
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Dayton RSVP

October 7, 2016
I’m flying into Dayton on October 19th to join local parents and residents at Dayton City Hall to thank Mayor Nan Whaley and the Dayton City Commissioners for being early learning champions! Can you meet us there and bring your kids, friends, and family? Click here to join me and other MomsRising volunteers on October 19th, 5:45pm at the Dayton City Commissioner's meeting to thank Mayor Nan Whaley and Dayton City Commissioners Matt Joseph, Jeffrey J. Mims, Chris Shaw, and Joey Williams for working to make Dayton a City of Learners! We have a GIANT thank you card for Mayor Nan Whaley and...
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Fun FREE Event!

October 7, 2016
Have your kids or grandkids been trying to sneak into their Halloween costumes early? They aren’t alone! On October 24th at 10am I’ll be dressing up for Halloween early with candy in hand to visit the Burlington Mayor’s Office. Why? To send one strong message: Let’s give Burlington kids the treat of quality, affordable early learning programs like childcare and pre-k! Meet me there with the kids, friends, and maybe even your neighborhood vampire! Together we can show local leaders that early education and care is a priority for Burlington families. Earlier this year, city leaders piloted the...
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October 7, 2016
Cuando era niña, mi papá siempre me dijo que era una niña “café con leche”. Una mezcla de dos culturas distintas que, al unirse, se transforman en su propia y única creación. Parte de esa mezcla especial también incluye el haber aprendido dos idiomas en mis primeros años. Al crecer, aprendí español en casa y aprendí inglés en la escuela. Aunque esto resultó en una vida llena de maravillosas habilidades bilingües (sin mencionar el “espanglés”), también significó que el desarrollo de mi habilidad para leer en inglés se desarrolló a un paso distinto que el de mis compañeros debido a las demandas...
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September 28, 2016
We are getting geared up to deliver a GIANT thank you card to local Dayton, OH leaders for being early learning champions on October 19th! Yes – you heard that right! Mayor Nan Whaley and Dayton City Commissioners Matt Joseph, Jeffrey J. Mims,Chris Shaw, and Joey Williams have been leading the way on the early education of our littlest residents by working to make Dayton a “City of Learners.” Under the leadership of Mayor Nan Whaley, the City of Learners Committee met with almost 450 parents, educators, community leaders, and early childhood specialists in 11 listening sessions to learn what...
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September 27, 2016
My dad always called me a Café con Milk kid when I was growing up. A mixture of two different cultures that, when joined together, turns into it’s own unique creation. Part of that special brew also included being a dual language learner during my earliest years.
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Updated!

July 5, 2016
Whoa. Childcare costs more than college in most states right now. That’s a national emergency in my book. But you can do something to help address this challenge and fix it. You can educate city leaders about how they can strengthen early learning programs, like pre-k and childcare, in your community while making them more affordable! Can you lend a hand in your city? The lack of access to high quality, affordable childcare is a big problem that we can help solve together. How? Well, last week, we released the Strong Start for Strong Cities guide with our partners at the National League of...
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Meet up!

June 2, 2016
Right now, 1 in 4 employed mothers in the United States are back at work just TWO WEEKS after giving birth because they don’t have access to paid family leave. This puts parents in an impossible and unfair bind. But the good news is that paid family leave is being discussed more than ever by major businesses (like Netflix and Facebook), policy makers, and even presidential candidates. So this is a critical time to have this conversation and make an impact! Join MomsRising volunteer and mom, Monica, on Saturday, June 11th in Austin, TX to talk about how together we can move paid family leave...
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April 5, 2016
I know there’s a whole lot of yuck happening in national politics right now, but we have good news! In spite of all the yuck, local leaders are doing GREAT things on early learning across the country. Leaders like Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, who is piloting an evidence-based 4-year universal pre-k program that plans to serve 2,000 children in 100 classrooms by 2018. Best of all, the Seattle Preschool Program will be affordable to local families. And in Texas, Mayor Adler and the City of Austin increased the percentage of children who entered kindergarten “school ready” by 5%, from 49% in 2011 to...
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Childcare & Early Education Family Economic Security Food! Gun Safety Health Care MomsRising Near You Paid Family Leave Politics & Policy
January 6, 2016
It’s the New Year and we've got a new experiment we'd like to do with you (yes, you!). We've had a ton of requests recently to have a way for our members to gather together in-person, offline, in a regular way to talk about important current topics and hang out with other cool, secret superhero moms. Well… we're now ready to give it a go. (In a no pressure way!) What's The Big Idea: Are you interested in signing up to get together regularly with other MomsRising members and friends at a time & location of your choice? We're plotting out starting more local gatherings, Moms MeetUps: Rising...
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October 23, 2015
I’m tired of hearing the questions. “What are you all waiting for? If you want two kids, you should probably get started soon…” or “Why are you even thinking about it?! You’re so young - enjoy the time you have together now,” and my personal favorite “Don’t be worried, you two will make great parents.” As a woman who has been with her partner since the age of 17 and who is soon approaching 30, this topic comes up often. Why, when, and how I intend to have babies. I love that women feel an openness to have these conversations (and these conversations ARE important), but the questions often...
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Host a Moms Meetup!

October 8, 2015
As the youngest in my family, I often had to wait my turn. Waiting was no fun, but when my turn came, I was sure to make a splash. After two Republican Presidential debates, the Democratic candidates will finally have a chance to make a splash next Tuesday, October 13th at 8 pm ET /5 pm PT. Will the wait be worth it? Let’s see! Drum roll please…. It’s time to grab your popcorn, gather some friends and family, and maybe even some juice boxes and/or adult beverages to watch the debate! It’s time to see what the Democratic candidates for President have to say about the core issues facing...
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Host a Moms Meetup!

October 8, 2015
As the youngest in my family, I often had to wait my turn. Waiting was no fun, but when my turn came, I was sure to make a splash. After two Republican Presidential debates, the Democratic candidates will finally have a chance to make a splash next Tuesday, October 13th at 8 pm ET /5 pm PT. Will the wait be worth it? Let’s see! Drum roll please…. It’s time to grab your popcorn, gather some friends and family, and maybe even some juice boxes and/or adult beverages to watch the debate! It’s time to see what the Democratic candidates for President have to say about the core issues facing...
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July 30, 2015
Me llamo Nina Pérez y estoy aquí hoy en nombre de MomsRising.org / MamásConPoder.org y de nuestro más de un millón de miembros para expresar que tenemos el corazón roto porque una madre más ha tenido que sepultar a un hijo demasiado pronto. Ninguna madre debería tener que enfrentarse a esta tragedia o debería tener que vivir con el temor de que su hijo sea lastimado por quienes están encargados de protegerlo. Cada vez más estadounidenses están dándose cuenta de las formas en las que la policía utiliza perfiles raciales, ataca o incluso mata a hombres y mujeres de raza negra a una tasa...
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July 30, 2015
My name is Nina Perez and I am here today on behalf of MomsRising and our million plus members to say that we are heartbroken that yet another mother has had to bury her child too soon. No mother should have to face that tragedy, or have to live in fear that their child will be harmed at the hands of those charged with their protection. More and more Americans are becoming aware of the ways in which the police racially profile, assault, or even kill Black men and women at significantly higher rates than White people and are calling for needed change. In fact, studies show that police stop,...
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RSVP

July 17, 2015
You’re invited to our celebration in Hattiesburg! RSVP by clicking this link to join MomsRising volunteers and friends on July 25th, 10:30 am at the Hattiesburg Zoo to thank Mayor DuPree and City Council members for for their leadership on children’s health in Mississippi! The event is free (a great chance to visit the zoo!) and it’s designed to give parents and kids a fun way to say, “Thank you!” to your local leaders. MomsRising and our partners at E³ Health Initiative are coming together to hand deliver the giant “Thank You!” card YOU signed to Mayor Dupree and City Council members, Kim...
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June 25, 2015
We won! The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor the Affordable Care Act , keeping the financial assistance that keeps health insurance affordable under King v. Burwell! Over 10,000 MomsRising members like YOU signed on to our People’s Brief to stand with the millions of Americans whose healthcare was at risk—and your voices were heard. MILLIONS will now be able to keep their health coverage. But the fight isn’t over yet - Congress has a line up of bills gutting health reform all ready to go. (Yes, you read that right!) For example, U.S. Senate bill 1016 ridiculously proposes eliminating...
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Childcare & Early Education Families & The Federal Budget Family Economic Security Paid Family Leave Paid Sick Days Politics & Policy Realistic & Fair Wages
June 10, 2015
In response to our #MissionPossible campaign to show lawmakers that building a stronger economy for working families and our nation IS mission possible, over one thousand people signed up to drop off booklets directly to their local member of Congress before June 21st. The booklet is an educational piece that includes facts about why family economic security policies make sense along with first-hand accounts from parents across the nation about unaffordable childcare, lack of paid sick days and maternity leave, unfair pay, and more. And by dropping off these booklets to the local offices of...
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Take Action

April 28, 2015
As I watch the events unfolding following Freddie Gray’s funeral , I’m trying to find inspiration from the March2Justice that happened just one week ago today. Justice League NYC —along with families, youth, and community leaders—marched 250 miles from New York City all the way to the nation's capital to urge Congressional leadership to take decisive action on police brutality and racial profiling. They put their bodies on the line because they were “ fed up with years of police brutality and injustice toward people of color ” and because of the continued lack of accountability in the...
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