Maria Hadden brings a global point of view to her position on the Chicago City Council as the alderwoman of the 49th Ward. Since being elected in May 2019, she has pushed forward issues of local, national and international importance, such as recognizing Juneteenth as a city holiday, exploring reparations to Black people and supporting a treaty outlawing nuclear weapons. 

Hadden shares background about her life before the elected office, that included undergraduate and graduate work in international relations, and how the housing crisis of 2008 led her to community activism in Chicago and eventually to becoming an alderwoman.