Miguelina Camilo was a de facto lawyer in her father’s bodega by the age of 12, and today, the president of the Bronx Women’s Bar Association is running for state Senate.
On Feb. 25, Camilo, 36, announced her candidacy for New York State Senate District 36. The seat became vacant when state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi a Pelham Progressive, joined the crowded primary for the open congressional seat in state’s third district, which combines parts of the Bronx, Queens, Long Island and Westchester.
Camilo, a pragmatic Democrat of Riverdale, was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to Washington Heights at age 2.
“I have seen too many young people sit in front of me feeling overlooked and hopeless when they come in contact with our courts and criminal justice system, and I have seen too many young women practicing law who can’t shake the feeling that their career would be easier if they were only a man,” she said in a statement. “I want to address these issues head on and have the hard conversations which are necessary to address these inequalities.”
