U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley chats with a commuter in the MBTA bus terminal in Nubian Square.

Congresswoman listens to concerns in Nubian Square

In Washington, Ayanna Pressley has filed legislation at a rapid clip during the COVID pandemic and the anti-police-violence protests — bills covering everything from data collection to the qualified immunity standard that has compelled courts to let officers charged with murder beat their cases.

On a visit to Nubian Square last Thursday, Pressley pursued a more pedestrian agenda: making sure the bus drivers, passengers and merchants in the commercial district are doing ok. She spoke to T riders and bus drivers as her aides passed out masks.

As a bus pulled into a berth in the MBTA’s busiest bus terminal, Pressley approached the driver’s window.

“Do you have everything you need to stay safe?” she asked the driver.

“Yes I do. I was sick for a month, though,” the driver replied.

“I’m fighting for all the frontline workers like you,” Pressley said. “Your work is essential, but your life is more essential.”

Pressley was in Nubian Square as part of an effort to register voters and encourage participation in the U.S. Census. During her visit there, she spoke with the Banner about her legislative agenda.

See PRESSLEY, page 12