Yvette Clarke (D)
Yvette Clarke was born and raised in Flatbush. Her parents were Jamaican immigrants and her mother was a New York City Council Member. She attended Oberlin College on a scholarship. She was elected to the New York City Council in 2002 and then to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007. She is the only black congresswoman from New York state. She is running for reelection to New York's 9th Congressional District.
Immigration
From F&C Students of 2018:
Yvette Clarke is fighting for a humane immigration policy that does not criminalize those who seek to participate in our society & become Americans, as generations of immigrants have throughout our nation’s history. Legislation currently being considered that will drive the undocumented further underground by increasing the threat of arrest and deportation, she states that also threatens our national security, our public health, and the fabric of our communities.
Platform: Yvette Clarke strongly opposes the defunding of Planned Parenthood. She has earned very high ratings from both Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro Choice America.
She consistently votes against legislation that blocks women from reproductive and abortion rights. She also emphasizes the intersectional element of sexism today, noting that Black women face unique and heightened disadvantages in the American healthcare system. She is also in favor of decriminalizing sex work and focusing more on issues surrounding it like sex trafficking.
From her website:
“She is a strong proponent for Paid Family Leave and voted yes to extend four weeks of paid parental leave for federal employees. She is also an advocate for the decriminalization of sex work and a proponent for shifting efforts to focusing on the crimes that too often take place around sex workers, including sex trafficking.
She is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Black Women and Girls which tackles the issues that disproportionately affect black women, including safety, economic opportunities, healthcare and criminal justice.”
Students: Jayleen, Muzamil, Kwame, Teniah
Student Endorsement
The candidate that I recommend is Yvette Clarke. She is the first Black woman representative for New York which is really big because black women barely get any representation. She has done many things for the community. She has fought for improvement of Education and understands that there is a problem within our school system. She said, “Our nation’s graduation rates are far too low. One in three students who enter ninth grade fails to graduate from high school in four years. The statistics are worse for African-American and Hispanic students. In New York City, almost half of African-American and Hispanic students fail to graduate from high school in four years.” She has been working on policies to make the schools better so that African American kids and other colored children can graduate on time and have a great education. School integration has affected many kids. Most children in certain neighborhoods can't afford a decent education and the schools in those areas don't provide many resources and/or opportunities. She has also been a strong advocate for women's rights and gender equality. She even called on all Americans to join the celebration of the 90th anniversary of women getting the right to vote. Clarke has voted against legislation that went against women's rights. I believe that Clarke will be able to make a great positive change in our lives
-Koudjedji C. (F&C Student 2020-2021)