Alexa Avilés
Alexa Avilés | |
---|---|
Member of the New York City Council from the 38th district | |
Assumed office January 1, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Carlos Menchaca |
Personal details | |
Born | January 15, 1973 |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Frankie Correa |
Children | 2 |
Residence(s) | Sunset Park, Brooklyn |
Education | Columbia University, Baruch College |
Profession | politician, non-profit administration |
Website | Official website Campaign website |
Alexa Avilés is an American politician, community activist, and non-profit manager from New York City. She is a member of the New York City Council for the 38th district, which covers Sunset Park along Brooklyn's western shoreline, also covering Red Hook, Greenwood Heights, and small parts of Windsor Terrace, Dyker Heights, and Borough Park neighborhoods in western Brooklyn.
Prior to taking office, Avilés worked in the non-profit sector, served as president of a parent-teacher association and a member of Brooklyn Community Board 7.
Early life and education[]
Avilés was born in Puerto Rico, and raised in East New York.[1][2] She was the youngest of seven children to a substance abuse counselor mother, and the first in her family to attend college.[3] She graduated Columbia University in 1995, and received a master's degree from CUNY's Baruch College School of Public and International Affairs.[2] She is a and an alumna of A Better Chance.[4]
Career[]
Her first job began as internship in college and then continued after graduation, at a philanthropy that provided environmental grants in under-served communities in Mississippi, and from there she branched out to work in reproductive rights and justice drives for native communities.[5] She later[when?] worked for the Justice, Equality, Human dignity and Tolerance Foundation (JEHT), focused on mass incarceration issues as a program manage, focusing on juvenile decarceration.[5][4] She also worked at the Fund of the Four Directions[when?].[4]
Avilés was a program officer and then program director at the Scherman Foundation from 2011 to 2021, working on advocacy for human rights, reproductive rights, and strengthening programs for the arts.[4][6]
Elected office[]
In 2021, Avilés defeated five other candidates to win the Democratic nomination, and is running in the November general without Republican opposition.[7] She received endorsements from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Congressmembers Nydia Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, State Senators Julia Salazar and Jabari Brisport, Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes, the Working Families Party, United Federation of Teachers, District Council 37, and other local groups and elected officials.[8][1][9] In the 5th round of ranked choice voting, she prevailed over closest candidate Yu Lin 65%-35%.[7]
Personal life[]
She lives with her husband, Frankie, and her two daughters in Sunset Park , where she has lived since 2000.[8][10][3][6]
Avilés is a board member of the Management Assistance Group, and serves on the Racial Justice Advisory Council of the Brooklyn Community Foundation.[4] She is a member of Brooklyn Community Board 7 and serves as the president of the PS 172 parent-teacher association.[9][4]
She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.[6][1][9]
Election history[]
This section is empty. You can help by . (July 2021) |
References[]
- ^ a b c "Alexa Avilés is a big-table socialist". City & State NY.
- ^ a b "Opinion: Why Public Education Advocates Must Stand With NYC's Grad Student Workers". City Limits. April 23, 2021.
- ^ a b "About Alexa". Alexa Avilés for City Council.
- ^ a b c d e f "Youth Board Members - DYCD". www1.nyc.gov.
- ^ a b "Alexa Aviles is running for City Council, by Nathan Weiser". June 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Sunset Park Parent Leader Vows to Bring Social Movements to City Council With Her".
- ^ a b "Alexa Aviles". Ballotpedia.
- ^ a b Salazar, Amanda. "Future of Immigrant Communities the Focus of Brooklyn City Council Race". Gotham Gazette.
- ^ a b c ""The Billionaires Are Nervous. And They Should Be Nervous."". jacobinmag.com.
- ^ Cieslak, Jack (January 30, 2021). "City Council Candidate Interview: District 38, Alexa Avilés".
External links[]
- 21st-century American politicians
- Members of the Democratic Socialists of America
- Columbia University alumni
- Living people
- New York (state) Democrats
- New York City Council members
- People from Sunset Park, Brooklyn
- Politicians from Brooklyn
- 21st-century American women politicians
- Women New York City Council members
- 1973 births