Cordell Cleare

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Cordell Cleare
Born	The Bahamas
Nationality	United States
Education	Brooklyn Tech
Occupation	Politician, Community Leader, Environmental activist
Website	http://www.clearechoice.com

Cordell Cleare is an American civil rights activist and politician in Harlem, New York City. She has been politically active in the community since the late 1990s and she is a founding member of the Michelle Obama Community Democratic Club.^[1]

Early life[]

Cordell Cleare was born in the Bahamas and raised in Harlem. She attended and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School then attended and graduated from SUNY Empire State College in Manhattan.

Career[]

Activism[]

Predatory Lending[]

Cleare's public work began when she noticed tenant abuse occurring outside in her neighborhood in the late 1990s. Workers hired by the landlord of a building on Manhattan Avenue were throwing tenants belongings out of the window onto the street. Cleare stepped in asked for the paperwork showing that a judge approved these actions, effectively ending the illegal eviction of the building. As a top advisor to Councilman Perkins at the time, her involvement led Perkins investigate the issue further. After multiple investigations auditors found fraud and predation in the country's HUD's 203(k) lending program. A coalition formed and the issue gained traction in the public sphere in 2000, eventually leading to 19 guilty pleas compensation for $250 million in fraudulent charges.^[2]

Lead Paint Poisoning[]

Continuing her work as tenant organizer; Cleare called attention to the poor housing conditions in Harlem. After one of her sons was lead poisoned as an infant, she advocated for better oversight of toxic and unsafe apartments.^[3] Pulling together tenants, activists, and government watchdogs, she founded and co-chaired the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning. Her efforts led to the passage of landmark municipal code named Local Law No. 1 of 2004. The law requires landlords to inspect apartments housing children for lead poisoning at least once per year.^[4]

Cleare was awarded the Brooke Russell Astor Award in 1997 for her work on the Lead Paint Poisoning Law. The New York Public Library grants the award each year to an "unsung hero who is relentless in his or her dedication to the city and who has contributed substantially to its betterment."^[5] [1]

Wadleigh Secondary School for the Visual and Performing Arts[]

In 2012, Cleare became involved in preserving Wadleigh Secondary School, located on West 114th Street, after the Department of Education slated it for closure.^[6] Educating children grades 6-12 for over 100 years, Wadleigh High School calls notable New York artists, academics, and writers alumni including Gene Weltfish, Edith Gregor Halpert, Molly Parnis, and Dr. Margaret Morgan Lawrence. The DOE recommended closing the school in 2012 due to flagging test scores. Working with community activists and public advocate Bill Deblasio, Cleare persuaded mayor Bloomberg not to close the school. In 2014, then mayor Deblasio placed the school in a special program called Renewal, which provides money and staffing for troubled schools.^[7] Despite these efforts, Wadleigh enrollment, attendance, and test scores continued to drop in the 2016–2017 school year.^[6] The DOE in conjunction with its Panel for Educational Policy recommended closing the school again in what was called "truncation." Another voice joined the DOE's efforts to close the school, named Eva Moskovitz. She sued the city arguing that her private charter school should have access to Wadleigh's classrooms in March 2018. Again Cleare rallied community organizers local and national against the closing, including Hazel Dukes of the N.A.A.C.P., State Senator Brian Benjamin, and schools chancellor Richard Carranza. Applying pressure through meetings, rallies, letters, and phone calls, the City panel removed the Wadleigh from its April 2018 meeting agenda, effectively quashing the closure.

Offices Held[]

Cleare has worked for over 18 years for New York State Senator Bill Perkins (politician) and last served as his chief of staff.^[8][9][10] She is a founding member of the Michelle Obama Community Democratic Club based in New York City and New York City District Leader for District 70.^[11] Cleare has served on District #3 Community Education Council. She was a Community School Board member for six years.^[12]

In 2008, Cleare campaigned for President Barack Obama.^[13] In 2012, she supported Obama's run for re-election, and was a delegate.^[14] Cleare was a Bernie Sanders delegate in 2016.^{[citation needed]}

Cleare ran for New York City Council to represent District 9 in 2017 was endorsed by New York Amsterdam News.^[15][16] She is running again for the seat in 2021.^[17] She is on the advisory board for the African American Day Parade, and has worked with the African Day Parade.^[18]

Awards[]

• 1997: Brooke Russell Astor Award - Co-chair of the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning^[5]

References[]