Meet the
mostly dead (we think)
Family
In 1902, it was a very dangerous time in both Italy, and Sicily. The Mogavero family, from Soprana, Sicily embarked on a remarkable and dangerous journey to America, arriving at Ellis Island with nine spirited little kids in tow. Settling in the vibrant Little Italy neighborhood of Manhattan, they established "Jacob (Giacomo) & Sons" -an olive oil, import/export, grocery store, on Market Street. -Weaving their mutual cultures and dreams into the fabric of their new home and neighborhood.
New York City was very dangerous for our people in the early 20th Century and my Nonas suffered tragedy after tragedy under the oppressive systems and racism of the time, as well as their father's, brother's and husband's adherence to strict "brotherly codes."
With nobody to protect the neighborhood children, who were routinely harmed in the streets of Manhattan, our cultures began to form larger "families." -Originally for the purpose of neighborhood "protection," similar to a "neighborhood watch," which actually came much later. This was a natural progression for my cultures, as they dealt with years of severe oppression, classism and racism in the old country as well as here in the U.S..
As more family immigrated, the families expanded even more. In the 1950's, my family moved to "Bay19th St." in Brooklyn, after my grandparents married- adopting the name "Urgola." After having two children, my grandparents ventured further, to Seaford, Long Island, where my mother and uncle grew up- until 1973.
Seeking new opportunities, our family, alongside the Berger family, made the long migration to Las Vegas, Nevada, where I was born, five years later.
I didn't have what most would consider a "normal" childhood. Our families were in the gaming and entertainment industries and extended out, quite far- giving us kids a whole slew of aunties, uncles, brothers, sisters and cousins that we considered no differently than our own. We were some of the first families to own video cameras, amongst our friends- and we used them to document our stories.
At age six, one of my uncles, Tony, asked me if I had yet decided if I really wanted to run for President one day- because, as a child, I would declare this "want" to any adult who was willing to listen. He was truly supportive and interested in this dream of mine. And I told him I decided that I would run one day. Then, I accepted my first (and only) campaign contribution of $5.00 -which he told me to save for the future and "use wisely."
In a perfect world, that $5.00 donation and his advise should've been all that I needed in order to run for office one day. Unfortunately, he passed away before I could even deposit the $5.00 into my savings account.
Growing up, I watched as our mutual families and friends, along with my father, Timothy, Uncles- Tony and Michael, and Aunt Stormy were all taken from us within a very short period of time. This trauma experience changed the way I understood the meaning of "war" and what it actually looked like inside, and outside, of the U.S.
While our family stories have often been sensationalized in movies and television, and written about -because they were marked by challenges and tragedies of the past, I have made it my mission to break this massive cycle of adversity and trauma, for as many immigrant cultures as I am able, through strong and effective policies, as well as popular culture.
With the goal of empowering a new generation of kids, from families like mine, as well as other child survivors of war and gun violence, my message is to always chase their hearts, minds and dreams -because they never know where one of them might lead.
I hope to work with these generations in the future and use whatever small platform and experiences that I've had to tell the very real stories of our extended, immigrant, families across the U.S. and the globe -in order to make peace and effective, modern policy -geared toward, once again, welcoming immigrants with open arms and breaking the vicious cycle of gun violence, against children in the U.S., once and for all.
More About Kelly...
Born and raised in the Las Vegas desert. She left home at 18 and ran away to Iceland where she had her first child. She spent 21 years (on and off) as a military spouse, DoD employee and company therapist and volunteer -supporting service members and their families throughout the OIF, OEF and the "Drawdown" eras—work that shaped her resilience, strengthened her understanding of the military, public-private partnership, and changed the way she looked at the world. These experiences deepened her commitment serving and deepened her commitment to the people.
Long before that, Kelly was a kidnapped and abused child, and later, foster kid in Las Vegas, Nevada
—raised by her Sicilian Nona, Italian Papa, circumstance and friends, not choice. Losing family and friends to tragedies early on gave her a sharp, lived-in understanding of the cultures that shape our world, including her own—not the ones we read about in textbooks, but the ones that actually matter to the people who carry, and hold them dear. That experience taught Kelly how to navigate chaos, cut through pointless noise, and build modern solutions and policies that lift as many people as possible.
This is not your "usual" presidential campaign. Kelly is not running to play petty politics in 2028, She is running to end the extremely deep divide once and for all. Because the time to move forward, is now. Kelly is stepping up because the job needs doing, and uniquely, she actually knows how to do it.
In her free time, she enjoys deep dives into constitutional law and theory, world history, geopolitics, sociology, genealogy & genetics as well as mass media —because we believe that understanding our past is the key to fixing our future. And the best part? She's not doing it alone. She is bringing "all of us" with her. And "all of us" are some pretty special and amazing individuals that she has wanted the world to meet for quite some time.
Also, please meet the family, above... Saluti!
