City/Town of Residence
Bronx
Experience and Qualifications
I’m a lifelong Bronx resident, public school leader, and first-time candidate with over 14 years of experience in education, youth development, and nonprofit work. I was raised in a working-class family and have lived through housing instability, food insecurity, and the effects of mass incarceration. In my professional life, I’ve led organization-wide operations, overseen multi-million dollar budgets, built partnerships across the city, and expanded access to critical resources for students and
Party Affiliation
Democratic Party
Key Endorsements
Lights Out Coalition, The League of Humane Voters of New York, and NYClass
CampaignWebsite
ShakurForTheBronx.com
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/shakurcouncil25/
The top three issues facing District 16 are lack of affordable housing, underfunded public schools, and the devastating impact of mass incarceration throughout the Bronx. Over half of residents are rent-burdened, and too many are forced to choose between paying rent or accessing basic necessities.
I’m fighting for a reformed Housing Connect system and stronger rent protections to ensure truly affordable housing.
Our schools remain underfunded and lack wraparound services; I support a universal community school model providing physical and mental health clinics, free after-school programs, and year-round meals for youth and families.
Finally, we have too many Black and Latino families in district 16 who are trapped in a cycle of poverty and incarceration. I’m committed to ending the financial exploitation of families who care for incarcerated loved ones and ensuring real reentry pathways.
To address housing instability, I will push to reform the Housing Connect program so that “affordable” truly reflects the incomes of Bronx residents. I support capping rents based on neighborhood income and repurposing vacant and city-owned properties into permanently affordable housing.
To improve public. education, I’ll champion a universal community school model with school-based health clinics, after-school programming, and year-round meals to ensure every child has access to learning, care, and stability.
To address mass incarceration, I’ll fight to end ICE’s presence in our communities; no one should fear detention when dropping their kids at school or going to work. I’ll also push to expand reentry services focused on access to housing, employment, and healthcare, ensuring that returning residents can rebuild their lives.
Reform the Housing Connect Program: I will introduce legislation to require income thresholds for affordable housing lotteries to reflect the actual Area Median Income of neighborhoods within District 16. I will also work to eliminate credit checks in housing applications, ensuring more equitable access to stable housing for working-class families.
Expand School-Based Services: I will work to fund and pilot an universal community school model at high demand schools. This model will prioritize health clinics, after-school programs, and year-round meal access to meet the urgent and ongoing needs of students and families.
Increase Food Access: I'll expand school food programs to include dinner and weekend meals for students and families, ensuring no one goes hungry outside traditional school hours. I will also fight to reinstate hot meal purchases for SNAP recipients, so our seniors, working families, and unhoused neighbors can access real, prepared food when they need it most.
The most ambitious goal I’d like to achieve is ending the unfair and unsafe living conditions in New York City jails and stopping the financial exploitation of families with incarcerated loved ones. No one should work for pennies an hour, and no family should be forced to pay for basic necessities like soap, food, or clothing. Incarceration in our district disproportionately impacts low-income Black and Latino families, deepening cycles of poverty. It’s time for the city to pay its fair share and build a justice system that rehabilitates.
One of the biggest challenges in ending exploitative practices is that they exist across the entire state, not just in New York City jails. I will use my platform to fight for reform at both the city and state levels, build coalitions with impacted families/lawmakers in Albany, and apply public pressure to ensure those most affected are not only heard but centered in driving the change we need.
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