With the retirement of Bedford-Stuyvesant Assemblywoman Annette Robinson, the 56th Assembly District Race will likely come down to the winner of the Tuesday, Sept. 13 Democratic Primary election between Karen Cherry and Tremaine Wright.
Cherry was born, educated, and currently resides, where for more than 25 years she has worked with numerous non profit agencies and organizations.
Cherry’s commitment to public service began as the secretary of the Tompkins Houses Resident Association and was a 35 year resident of NYC public housing. She also worked as the director of community relations for former Congressman Ed Towns.
She has also served on the community advisory boards of Bed-Stuy Head Start, Interfaith Medical Center and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, and is an active member of Church Women United.
KCP asked the following two questions to Cherry:
If elected, what 2-3 committees would you like to sit on and why?
Karen Cherry: “The immediate needs of our community would be best served by my serving on the Housing Committee, Health Committee, and/or Aging Committee.
“These are the committees that would allow me to have the greatest impact in terms of policies that affect the people of the 56 Assembly District and they address the issues that are close to my heart.
“I have had experience with all facets of the spectrum of housing. When I was growing up, we were burned out of our home. We lost everything. My mom had to move our family to a shelter and from there, to public housing. Then as an adult, I have moved from public housing to become a Brownstoner. These experiences give me great empathy for the people of my district. Wherever they are, I’ve been there and I will bring this understanding of their struggles to the law making body.
“Much of my work and activism in the community over the last 30 years has centered around the needs of our elders. And this will become more important as Brooklyn continues to lead the city in elderly population. We must ensure we are able to meet the demands for care and services as people age.
“One of the biggest concerns in the city is the number of hospitals that are closing in central Brooklyn. Health care delivery systems are changing but they cannot change so much that people are left in need. Keeping people healthy benefits everyone. Just as I worked to keep Interfaith Hospital open, I will continue to work to make sure the health care needs of the community are met.
“I’d also sit on Education & Economic Development to support constituents & provide resources to assist them in training, recruitment, job creation, starting, growing, & expanding their business (both creating jobs & fueling the economy).”
Bedford-Stuyvesant has a strong black professional and middle-class constituency as well as continued pockets of poverty. Can you give me an idea or two either of an existing program where there is a mentoring between the two economic classes or an idea for a program that you could see backing as the Assembly member?
Karen Cherry: “Two programs immediately come to mind. First, the National Black Engineers partnered with the Ronald McNair School in Bedford Stuyvesant to mentor and introduce students to science and engineering which is one of the fastest growing job sectors.
Second, CAS Prep, a program housed at Cornerstone Baptist Church and founded by Sam Awedumi, prepares students for the Specialized High School exam. It is well known, that the numbers of black and brown children that gain admission to these stellar schools has fallen off dramatically. This is the kind of program that is geared to turn those numbers around and make a difference for your young people.
These are the kinds of programs we should all be supporting.
Editor’s Note: This story was written in cooperation with OurTimePress.
