About the Author

Cassie Chambers Armstrong was born into poverty in eastern Kentucky, but with the help of a strong community, a supportive family, and access to public education, Cassie was able to graduate from Yale University, the London School of Economics, and Harvard Law School.  She is currently an assistant professor of law at the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, and she serves at a state senator, representing District 19 and serving as the Senate Minority Whip in the Kentucky State Senate. She has passed important legislation, most remarkably Jeanette’s Law, which protects victims of domestic violence.  Instead of cashing in on her education at a big law firm, Cassie came back to Kentucky and started her career providing free legal aid to low-income people experiencing domestic violence. Chambers is recognized not only as a talented writer but also as an important voice in conversations about rural America, opportunity, and social change.