As a community organizer with CAAAV, I spent two years building tenant power with Bangladeshi and Asian NYCHA residents at the Queensbridge Houses. These residents had faced discrimination and language barriers for years, but together we won critical upgrades and repairs, and fought for the funding our communities needed.
I also worked directly with survivors of domestic violence to ensure they could safely escape abusive situations. Over a decade ago, I joined Sakhi for South Asian Survivors to support their work in Kensington, where they had the highest intake of survivors.
With my neighbors, I helped form The Kensington Stewards to transform an empty lot into Avenue C Plaza, a vibrant public space for everyone to enjoy. There weren’t enough parks or open spaces for children to play or for women to take up space. So, we built the plaza and activated it with cultural programming to make it a true community hub.”
For example, after receiving multiple complaints about trash on Court Street, we secured additional trash cans within just 48 hours. That’s what real constituent service looks like—swift, efficient action that directly improves your daily life.
Some of our highlights:
We’ve made significant strides in accessibility, including opening the elevators at the 7th Avenue F/G station, building a protected bike lane on 9th Street, and installing wheelchair-accessible swings at Van Voorhees Park.
We’ve also expanded critical community services: our immigration legal clinic in Kensington now operates weekly, and our monthly food distribution has provided nearly 2,500 bags of food to working-class families in 2024.
Also in 2024, District 39 entered the top 10 City Council districts for new affordable housing, with the opening of 633 units and the Gowanus rezoning paving the way for thousands more.
Additionally, we’ve secured over $20 million in new funding for schools, parks, infrastructure, vital non-profits, affordable housing, and Participatory Budgeting projects.”
When Eric Adams attempted to slash funding for vital community services, defund public schools, and end seven-day library service, I led the fight to stop him. But it’s not enough to simply avoid Adams’s cruel cuts and austerity measures. We deserve an equitable City budget—one that reflects our values and supports all our communities. That’s why I voted against his 2023 and 2024 budgets.
I’m ready to use every tool of city government to protect every block of the 39th district from Trump’s MAGA agenda. Our City government has a responsibility to do everything in its power to keep our communities safe. I will always fight to defend reproductive rights, protect immigrant New Yorkers, and stand up against attacks on LGBTQ+ communities.”
