As a Brownsville native, I’ve spent much of my life feeling and witnessing the absence of investment and care for my community by the New York State Legislature. From housing to policing to education, my neighborhoods concerns have been ignored and neglected. Brownsville is my home and as a community we know that we deserve more and better.
I have lived in Brownsville since I was seven-years-old. I attended public school in District 23 and I now have sent my two sons to schools here as well.
That is part of the reason that I’ve dedicated my life to working hard to ensure a quality education for all students, especially those in low income communities of color. It is one of the biggest reasons that I support and respect our Assemblywoman Latrice Walker.
She’s one of the first elected officials in a very long time that has truly represented the spirit of Brownsville. She never ran from a political battle and never will.
She stood up in Albany for our community. She has made sure that the State understands: Brownsville matters and our needs and concerns must be addressed. Finally!!
The consistent choice by the state to underfund Brownsville’s public schools has limited opportunity and deferred too many of our children’s dreams and I believe this is because we are a Black, Brown and low-income community. Our public schools have been starved for the $30 Million in Campaign for Fiscal Equity money we are owed for decades.
Yet Assemblywoman Walker has an unwavering and unapologetic commitment to ensuring that our schools receive the funding they rightfully deserve; this is the leadership our children have waited for, for too long.
Immediately after being elected, as a first term legislator she made sure her voice was heard. She aligned herself with other newly elected young women of color to form the first ever Women of Color Caucus in Albany. This group of women has used their collective voice to stand together and demanded that their communities’ needs were addressed. Far too often politicians get elected and just allow business as usual and never address the needs of local community, Walker is someone that has broken that standard.
Assemblywoman Walker has fought and delivered on numerous occasions! Because of her leadership Brownsville’s hospital received an additional $700 million in state aid. Our schools received an additional $5.5 million bump in funding. If this is what she can accomplish in her first term, I’m looking forward to seeing what a 2nd term in office can bring to our community.
I know and Ms. Walker knows that someone must continually challenge New York State’s commitment to Brownsville and we both work hard to be those challengers. In just two years in office she has undeniably elevated her voice to be one that will not go unheard, her love and genuine connection to community is what we’ve needed for so long.
Brownsville is a proud Black and Brown community and it feels so good to have someone representing us that is just as proud and equally willing to fight for us as we are.
