Join US Congresswoman Sharice Davids, Kansas rep Christina Haswood, and coauthor Nancy K. Mays for a very special evening celebrating Representative Davids's new picture book, Sharice's Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman.

Signed copies of the book will be available. Click here to preorder.

We're collecting donations of Sharice's Big Voice for Lawrence Public Library! To donate a copy, order off our website and write "donation" in the order comments!

This picture book autobiography tells the triumphant story of Sharice Davids, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, and the first LGBTQ congressperson to represent Kansas.

When Sharice Davids was young, she never thought she’d be in Congress. And she never thought she’d be one of the first Native American women in Congress. During her campaign, she heard from a lot of doubters. They said she couldn’t win because of how she looked, who she loved, and where she came from. But here’s the thing: Everyone’s path looks different and everyone’s path has obstacles. And this is the remarkable story of Sharice Davids’ path to Congress.

Beautifully illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, an Ojibwe Woodland artist, this powerful autobiographical picture book teaches readers to use their big voice and that everyone deserves to be seen—and heard!

The back matter includes information about the Ho-Chunk written by former Ho-Chunk President Jon Greendeer, an artist note, and an inspiring letter to children from Sharice Davids.

Sharice Davids was inspired to public service by her single mom, an army drill sergeant. Raised on military bases, Sharice worked her way through Johnson County Community College in Kansas City, before eventually earning a law degree from Cornell Law School.  As a first-generation college student who had to work for everything including martial arts lessons, Representative Davids is focused on increasing opportunity by supporting public education and affordable healthcare. Davids was a White House Fellow under President Barack Obama.  When she was sworn into the 116th Congress, Representative Davids became one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress. She is a resident of Roeland Park, Kansas.

Representative Christina Haswood represents Kansas House District 10 which covers the southeast of Douglas County including Lawrence and Baldwin City. Rep. Haswood is Dine’ (Navajo) who grew up in District 10 and even started her higher education journey at Haskell Indian Nations University where she earned her A.S. in Community Health, then transferred to Arizona State University where she earned her B.S. in Public Health, and then graduated from the University of Kansas Medical Center where she earned her Masters in Public Health (MPH) in May of 2020. Rep. Haswood currently sits on the committees of Water, Health & Human Services, Agriculture, and on-call for Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations.

Nancy K. Mays has published short stories in Ploughshares, the Colorado Review, Mid-American Review, and other publications. Nancy is an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Kansas. She is a resident of Mission Woods, Kansas.

US Congresswoman Sharice Davids in conversation with Christina Haswood and coauthor Nancy K. Mays