Labour's by-election candidate Paulette Hamilton has pledged to use her experience of discrimination and poverty to stand up for struggling communities in Parliament.
The former nurse is battling to win next month's Birmingham Erdington by-election, with voters heading to the polls following the death of Labour MP Jack Dromey.
Ms Hamilton broke down in tears as she described how much she wished her father could have seen her elected to Parliament - after he died only two weeks ago.
"I wanted him to see me go to Parliament," she told the Mirror.
"Imagine a poor family from the inner cities and watch their daughter go to Parliament - you don't know what that means.
“He worked so hard for me and my family. I just wanted to stand up and say, ‘This is for you’."
Ms Hamilton, 59, grew up in a tight-knit family without much money.
"We had a party when we got our first washing machine,” she recalled. "It was magical.”
She said not going to private school or possessing family wealth had been a driving factor of her career, from nursing through to politics.
Ms Hamilton said she knew she might face challenges in politics as a black woman.
"I've faced racism and faced issues where people have thought perhaps I wasn't good enough to do it because of the areas I've grown up in," she said.
"I remember once a senior telling me if you are going to achieve anything in nursing, you don't just have to be as good as your white counterpart, you have to be twice as good."
She takes the role of serving the community seriously, especially as Jack Dromey was well known in the constituency for speaking up for everyone.
"I'll never be Jack Dromey. I'm Paulette Hamilton.
"And I know this community deserves people like Jack who are passionate and want to fight for the issues that they feel that they want challenged in government."
Asked if she would be nervous to grill Boris Johnson, she shot back: "No."
She admitted to being unprepared for the prospect of receiving death threats and abuse as she is a black woman.
Ms Hamilton said: "I'm not gonna tell you I'm prepared. But what I've seen over the last month or so, from the MPs that have come to Birmingham, is that they seem very supportive.
"And so all I can do is learn from people that have gone there before me. Just try not to make the same mistakes.
"And if I get it wrong, just work with the powers that be to look at the issues."
As well as her strong work ethic, Ms Hamilton has beaming smile on her face that lingers through the interview and when speaking to locals.
Asked what her secret is to looking happy, Ms Hamilton replied: "I've got a good husband who loves me, and has for 35 years.
"I've got five lovely children who absolutely root for me, a really good extended family and a great network of friends."
Chuckling, she added: "And also I'm a beautiful girl walking about!"
Sharing her plans for Erdington, Ms Hamilton said: "I want to see our high street as something we can be proud of, a town where people have high earnings.
"We have to help people feel proud of their community."
Voters will head to the polls in Birmingham Erdington on March 3 to elect their new MP.
The West Midlands seat has been Labour since it was created in 1974.
