Nina Turner is a “hell-raising humanitarian” and a tireless advocate for progressive values and social justice. Growing up in the working-class Lee-Harvard neighborhood of Cleveland, she saw the effects of income inequality on her own family and community first-hand. Turner grew up the oldest of seven children so when her mother’s battle with high blood pressure took her life at the early age 42, it was on Turner to care for her family. This experience exposed for Turner the serious problems with our healthcare system, especially for Black and lower-income families. After a period of extreme perseverance, Turner earned an associate’s degree from Cuyahoga Community College, a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Cleveland State University. Turner made history in 2005 as the first woman to represent Ward 1 on the Cleveland City Council, and again in 2008 as the first African American woman to serve as a State Senator in Ohio’s 25th District. During her time in the legislature, she fought for women’s health care freedom, collective bargaining rights, and criminal justice reform.

She went on to serve as the Chair of Party Engagement for the Ohio Democratic Party, leading the effort to build a more robust and inclusive organizing infrastructure and support for local Democratic candidates across the state. Turner then served as a national surrogate for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and national co-chair for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign. She traveled across the country for Sanders’ campaign to promote progressive values such as raising the federal minimum wage, free education from kindergarten through college, and health care as a human right in the form of Medicare for All. She also served as the President of the national grassroots political organization “Our Revolution”.

When Ohio’s 11th Congressional seat became available, she ran her own grassroots campaign focused on advancing progressive ideas and policies that would benefit the working families of Northeast Ohio. After the campaigns for this seat, she remained steadfast and undeterred. She continued her focus on doing the good work of highlighting the needs of the poor, working poor, and barely middle class. Nina Turner is the host and executive producer of “Unbossed”, a daily show on The Young Turks Network. Turner is also a former assistant professor of history at Cuyahoga Community College, a member of Sigma Gamma Rho, and the host of the “Hello Somebody” podcast on iHeartRadio.

In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, working out, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. Turner has a special affinity for the arts, having lent her voice and likeness to the screen in the pilot episode of “Black Lighting,” numerous voiceovers, and upcoming documentaries premiering in 2023. She is passionate about continuing to use her platform to advocate for the arts and hopes to do so for many years to come.