Professional Documents
Culture Documents
It was called the Inspirational Chorus and that is what we did, inspire. I amassed an attendance of about 25-60 children a day, teaching them voice, music theory and scales. Our first performance was for Susan L. Taylor, the former Editor -N- Chief of Essence Magazine. They tore the house down. These are children who would have otherwise been involved in something or influenced by circumstances that would have harmed their lives. I was fortunate to inspire them and fortunate to be inspired by them. My life has become the better for this. We went on to perform for Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie Robinson, Late Dr. John Henrick Carke, Author, Walter Mosely and the Poet Nikki Giovanni. This is the elevation of our children, our families and our communities humanity. 3. What will your top 3 legislative priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Juvenile Justice 2. High School Drop Out Rate 3. Elder Protections 4. What will your top 3 budget priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Increase funding for after-school 2. Youth re-entry from incarceration 3. Jobs & training 5. Do you plan to use participatory budgeting to allocate your discretionary funds? Why or why not? Participatory budgeting is a unique way and frankly a necessary way to allocate funds to the communitys we represent in that the people understand the daily grind of the communitys needs. Having young people, elders, students and professionals use their voice is an awesome step toward cooperative government for the people, of the people and by the people. This process empowers ordinary people to represent and awesome city like New York with understanding of its complication in simplifying their participation in the process of governing better outcomes in their particular neighborhoods. 6. Please provide examples of recent legislation in Council that you believe promotes human rights. The increase of the minimum wage was a good legislative stance by City Council. However, this comes on the heels of increased rents, luxury development, food price increases and so on. So, therefore the legislative stance may seem to dignify the rights of a living wage, yet it deforms the process of governing our communities in its deception of cause because it was done to afford the new higher cost of living when it should have been done in a timely manner to cushion our citizens from these increases, allowing them to budget their personal lives to build an economic bridge
to support their families. This increase is still leaving the families budget as an obligatory payment to landlords increase rents, so there really wasnt a wage increase. The idea of Human Rights is a contextual circumstance that becomes a legislative circumvent by our political process to subvert and undermine our citizens. i cant support the collaring of any particular legislation due to the fact it always comes on the heels of either a private equity violation and/or a state sanctioned violation of human rights, case and point, stop and frisk. The Beacon schools were a great concept of human rights activity, giving our young people an outlet, yet due to cuts in the nineties these programs decreased and or were concentrated to a few agencies whose monopoly of youth services blocked the creative flow of ingenuity and entrepreneurship. I would like to see a concerted effort to create legislation based on the dignity of human rights apart from the aftermath of violence, poverty and underserving our neighbors. 7. Legislation is only one of many ways in which Council Members can work to advance human rights. What ways other than through legislation will you advance the human rights of New Yorkers as a City Council Member? Considering the work I have done. This has given me insight into the lives of my neighbors, their concerns with youth violence, unemployment and the necessary engagement of the patriarchs of our educational system, which are our universities...these are the elements of surprise often enlisted in the uplift of communities in cities like New York. I will work with my neighbors to advance an agenda of engagement to support our youth from idleness, involving them in the process of their city to emancipate themselves through a variety of networks; churches, community based organizations, universities, police athletic leagues and extra ordinary citizens concerned about their lives and tho lives of one another. 8. Some advocates contend that the position of the Council Speaker has too much power over the progression of legislation. Please use this space to respond to that critique. Their should be an augmented transition network process of cooperation among the City Council to speak to the City Council Speakers disagreement of any legislation put forth onto the floor of the Council. The checks and balance of this network allows the voice of the people to be heard through its representatives. Which, would be a valued tool of conservative cooperation, meaning the process would then be streamlined in a timely manner.