NEW YORK, CMC – Caribbean-American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke has launched her campaign for reelection in the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, a largely Caribbean district.
The Democratic Primary election is scheduled for June 23, and early voting will take place from June 13 to 21.
“I’m so grateful to be with you today, right here in the heart of the community that raised me,” said Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).
“My parents came here looking for opportunity and built a life in Flatbush, a home I still live in today. Growing up, I learned that if you want change, you have to fight for it, and here in Brooklyn, we know legacy and community matter.
“Our history and our future are what keep our neighborhoods strong. From Flatbush to Midwood, it’s our roots and our commitment to protecting families that hold us together. But everywhere I go, I hear the same thing: people are doing everything right, and they’re still falling behind,” she told supporters at her campaign headquarters.
She said that the Donald Trump administration has wreaked havoc on communities and created chaos at a time when people are already carrying heavy burdens, “and making ends meet is straining the fabric of our economy”.
Clarke said at the same time that the American people have witnessed one of the largest wealth transfers in the country’s history.
“Tax breaks for the wealthy, while cutting healthcare, food assistance, housing, and more; tariffs driving up everyday costs; we’re seeing fear in our communities. Families targeted, neighbors worried about their safety.
“And while people are already struggling to afford rent, groceries, and gas, this president has chosen to engage in an unnecessary war. We’re talking about a war costing over one billion dollars a day. At the same time, he’s asking Congress for a US$1.5 trillion defense budget, a 42 percent increase from last year.
She said that the country is talking about a president who threatened to obliterate an entire civilization in reference to Iran.
“We are living through trying times. The very fabric of what our ancestors, our aunties, our grandmothers, and our fathers fought for is at stake.” Clarke said, adding, “We are not going to back down.
“I haven’t backed down in Congress. I’ve spent my career fighting to expand opportunity and deliver results. And, as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, we are working every single day to protect our communities,” Clarke said, adding “proven fighters” are currently needed in Congress.
“That’s why I am proud to announce my candidacy for reelection to represent New York’s 9th Congressional District, because the stakes could not be higher, and my determination for this community could not be stronger,” she said.
“We have to fight like our lives depend on it. Act like our nation’s future is on the line. Vote, as our livelihoods depend on it, because they do.
“So, Brooklyn, are you with me? Are we ready to fight back?” Clarke asked. “Because our community is counting on us, and the soul of this nation is on the line, let’s get out there. When we fight, we win.”
Clarke said she takes her passion for her Caribbean heritage to Congress, where she also co-chairs the Congressional Caribbean Caucus and works to foster relationships between the United States and the Caribbean Community.
Clarke is a senior member of the US House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee, and has been a CBC member since coming to Congress in 2007.
As the representative of the 9th Congressional District, Clarke said she has dedicated herself to continuing the “legacy of excellence” established by the late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the daughter of Barbadian and Guyanese immigrants, and the first Black woman and Caribbean American elected to Congress.
In the 118th Congress, Clarke introduced landmark legislation to advance the priorities she said are closest to her heart and at the top of her constituents’ minds.
She said she has led critical legislation to support women’s health, including the Menopause Research Equity Act, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid and Education Act, and the Uterine Cancer Study Act.
Before being elected to the House of Representatives, Clarke served on New York City’s City Council, representing the 40th District.
She succeeded her pioneering mother, former New York City Council Member Dr. Una S. T. Clarke, making them the first mother-daughter duo to succeed in the City Council’s history.
Clarke received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, from the University of Technology, Jamaica, and the honorary doctorate in public policy from the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean.
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