A mom, service industry worker, and State Representative for the 76th Assembly District in Wisconsin, Francesca Hong has made a major impact on advancing the city of Madison and the State of Wisconsin as a whole.
“My background’s in hospitality,” Hong said. “I’ve been working in restaurants for the past 15 years and when the pandemic hit, I think it was a combination of grief, stress, fatigue, determination and knowing that working class folks deserved better representation that made me consider running for office. I stepped up with a community behind me that supported me and helped me get to where I’m at now.”
Transitioning from the service industry to the volatile environment of state government was an eye-opening experience for Hong. “Right now there is a massive mistrust and pessimism surrounding what government can and cannot do. I know that the government is supposed to be a force of good and supposed to help people better their lives…I firmly believe that the highs in my new role have been the relationships with community members that I’ve been able to develop and foster.”
Hong has an innate ability to make you feel heard, welcomed, and important. This is nothing new for her though, as it started back when she was a chef for a living. “It has always been food that brought people around me together. Regardless of your background, where you live, what your beliefs may be, there’s a power in food because food always tells a story and food always evokes memories that can make people happy.”
Like food, soccer is another thing that can evoke a positive emotional response, especially for someone like Hong. “I grew up in the Eagle Heights neighborhood in Madison, always playing soccer with my neighbors. I started playing competitively in middle school, playing on the [Madison] 56’rs and then the [Middleton] Yahara Soccer Club. I learned a lot of leadership from playing, it was the first place I felt like I belonged to a team.”
Hong’s love affair with soccer has continued with time and has led her to the Forward Madison family. “I love the diversity of the community that goes to enjoy the matches. I love that you see local businesses represented around the stadium, like the mobile library. The team brings a lot of energy to the stadium that radiates out to the community.”
A focus of Hong’s position as a State Representative is helping to positively advance Wisconsin through the legislative process. With that, she has ambitions and hopes for the future of soccer in the state and beyond. “I think we have an opportunity to really ensure that the game is [a] safe, sustainable place for our players of color. That happens with making sure that families feel supported and [like they] belong.”
These days, you can catch Hong walking around Capital Square donning a Giannis jersey with a Forward Madison hat pulled tightly around her head. “I think for me it’s a sense of pride that Madison has kind of made it onto a different level…we have a soccer club to have as our own.”
