I have known Jamaal Bowman as an enlightened educator and a fighter for social justice. Right now, he is running for Congress against a senior Democrat, Elliot Engel. Engel is a 16-term member of Congress and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Most people think of Jamaal as a long shot.
But the times are changing. Jamaal has raised nearly $1 million. He was endorsed by AOC. He is young and energetic and passionate.
Michelle Goldberg, a regular columnist for the New York Times, wrote an extraordinary column about Jamaal.
Goldberg wrote:
On March 1, which feels about 20 years ago, NBC News published an essay by a congressional candidate, Jamaal Bowman, about the scars he bore from life in New York under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was then still running for president.
“As a working-class black male educator during the entirety of Bloomberg’s tenure, I got to experience the horrors and the trauma of how his police department treated people like me,” wrote Bowman. He described an inexplicable arrest following a routine traffic stop, and another after he was accused of stealing his own car. He wrote about Eric Garner and Sean Bell, two black men killed by N.Y.P.D. cops, and about the growing police presence in the city schools where Bowman had made his career.
Last March, when the NBC article appeared, Goldberg wrote him off. But the world has changed since the killing of George Floyd.
Now Jamaal Bowman has a shot at winning. He would be a great addition to Congress.
I endorsed Jamaal months ago. He has all the right ingredients to be a strong voice on behalf of his district, on behalf of education, on behalf of the black and brown students he worked so hard to educate as principal of the Cornerstone Academy of Social Action, and on behalf of their families. He would fight for those who have been left behind by poverty, institutional neglect, and racism.
If you live in the Sixteenth Congressional District in the Bronx, please vote for Jamaal Bowman for Congress.
I am delighted to see minorities from working families running for office. So many of our elected representatives are elitists from the leisure class. They have no understanding of the struggle of working families. Likewise, they do not understand what life is like for people of color. We need more diversity in our representation.
You and I have been beside Jamaal numerous times. We know Jamaal personally. He and I shared stages to gather in public ed rallies. He was an incredible principal in the Bx.He would be a far more effective congressperson Than the guy more known for how much he is teased by news anchors for being THAT face on the aisle at State of The Union Address. Engel is a no show in his district as well.
It is time for democratic leaders to quietly suggest to Elliot Engel that he step aside for Jamaal Bowman.
Engel has been fine as a Congressman. He has supported many good issues, even if there are likely some issues in which his view is more conservative. But that isn’t really the issue. The issue is that he has had his time and it’s time for him to retire.
Here is what I would love to see: A joint press conference with Engel and Bowman together, with Engel saying that he is proud to endorse Bowman and Bowman praising Engel and thanking him for his years of service. Engel should be able to step down with honor for his years of good service (not demonized) after he enthusiastically endorses Bowman as the leader who will bring about new changes.
Well, that’s my dream.
And, the opinion about candidate Ruben Diaz Sr. who campaigned in NY with Ted Cruz?
The faint of heart shouldn’t go to Ballotpedia’s campaign finance page (Diaz’ 2016 successful run for NY state senate).
Diaz Sr. Is a Trumper
I live in Westchester and I am so excited to vote for Jamaal Bowman!
Bernie just endorsed Jamaal.
I’m having an identity crisis–finally voting for a winner!
~ Fred from District 16
I’m excited to make some phone calls tomorrow to friends and family who live in Westchester Co. D-16 is my hometown district, and although I’m now in the City, I am excited about the possibility for REAL change from the bottom to the top in my former community. Jamaal’s experience in public education will translate into a very successful, empowering, and empathetic tenure in Congress!
Thanks for making the calls. Wishing you success.