U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, sounded a message of hope even while acknowledging the impact of war, the toll of COVID and the threat of climate change during an hour-long town hall on Vashon Wednesday night.

It was her first such gathering since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago.

In opening comments, Jayapal, now serving her third term in Congress in one of the safest seats in the country, ticked off several domestic accomplishments, the result, she said, of “having Democrats in the Senate, the House and the White House.”

Child poverty was cut by 50 percent, 6.5 million more jobs were created and 70 percent of the country is vaccinated, she said. “That’s what you get with Democrats in control,” she added.

But she also noted the “horror” now unfolding in Ukraine, the number of lives lost to the pandemic and the political challenges that come with a 50/50 split in the Senate, where several bills she supports have stalled. “We have a little problem in the Senate,” she said with a wry smile. “It’s called the filibuster.”

About 75 people attended the gathering at Open Space, all of them masked and many clearly fans of Jayapal, who chairs the Progressive Caucus in the House. Several stood and applauded at the end of the meeting, then formed a long line to have their pictures taken with her. One woman gave her flowers.

After an introduction by Joseph Bogaard, executive director of Save Our Wild Salmon, islanders asked her questions touching upon a range of issues, from Medicare, to immigration, to problems with the Electoral College. Jayapal responded fully to each question, promising to look into the Fair Representation Act, a bill that islander Melvin Mackey asked her about, and thanking an islander who challenged her on immigration for attending the town hall.

At one point, she listed the issues that matter most to her — Medicare for all, housing as a human right, climate resiliency, an end to student loan debt, fair pathways for immigrants — what she called “a vision for who are and who we want to be as a country.” She also extolled Pres. Biden, saying his diplomacy in the face of Russia’s aggression is helping to restore our relationship with NATO, and applauded the effort underway “to wean ourselves of dictators” in oil-rich countries.

“Nobody in Europe is talking about this moment as a moment to drill more, to invest more in fossil fuel,” she said.

She also said Congress and the White House will “do everything we can to support Ukraine, to support the Ukrainian people, to support the diaspora of Ukraine.” But Jayapal, who founded an advocacy group for immigration reform shortly after 9/11, added that the U.S. needs to treat “all refugees in the same way … during this terrible time of war.”

Sally Fox elicited a passionate response from Jayapal when she noted how proud she was to be represented by her but worries about the “divisiveness” that mars the country. “How do you do it? How do you bridge the gap?” she asked.

Jayapal’s answer: “It’s hard. And it’s never been so hard.”

Jayapal then discussed her experiences on Jan. 6, 2021, when insurrectionists stormed the Capitol Building. As an angry mob teemed outside, her husband texted her, urging her to “get out of there,” she said. She texted back: “I’m in the safest place possible. I’m with (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi.” Minutes later, insurrectionists broke into the building. “I feared for my life,” Jayapal said.

But the experience was also a reminder of the importance of activism, tenacity and determination, especially in the face of challenges, she said.

“There are so many people in the history of this world who have gone through so many difficult things to change what seemed impossible to change. And they never gave up.” To applause, she added: “I’m not going to give up. We’re going to keep working this and were going to make our country the democracy it should be and we’re going to fight for justice every day for people who deserve it.”

Jayapal acknowledged the difficulty of making significant progress on issues that matter most to her and to many islanders. When one islander asked her how we can call ourselves a democracy when not every vote counts due to the Electoral College, Jayapal said she too is troubled by the Electoral College but noted the challenge of “making some of these structural changes. We’re not going to be able to do it with 50 votes in the Senate.”

Another islander expressed concerns about the mid-term elections. “Things are going to look worse for Democrats this fall,” she said, adding that the Democrats “seem to be constantly behind the news curve.”

Jayapal agreed. “The media hasn’t given Biden the credit he deserves,” she said.

But she also said she believes there’s a “tremendous opportunity” for Democrats to keep the House and expand the majority in the Senate. It’s imperative, she added, that those who support progressive causes understand what has been accomplished by the Biden administration, as well as the kind of peril we would have faced had Russia invaded Ukraine during the Trump presidency.

“We are better as a country than we were a year ago, and we need you to tell that story,” Jayapal said.

— Leslie Brown is a former editor of The Beachcomber.