Thursday, March 28, 2024

Dianne Morales Bets on Progressive Vision in Run to Become New York’s First Latina Mayor

New York City’s Mayoral candidate, Dianne Morales, visited the nation’s largest cooperative housing development in the Bronx on the anniversary of George Floyd’s death.

In an interview Morales said, “We haven’t really changed the systems that made it possible for George Floyd to be murdered. It’s so important, because of this moment in time, for us to really be committed to making the political changes and the moral changes that we need to make.” Morales is the first Afro- Latina candidate to run or New York City mayor. If she wins, she will become the first woman and first Latina to be elected mayor.

In 2019, Morales left her job to run for mayor. Since starting her campaign, she describes herself as a candidate who brings a new progressive vision that seeks to reform gubernatorial priorities in a way that delivers justice for the city’s most vulnerable populations.

Morales was the CEO of Phipps Neighborhoods, a Bronx-based nonprofit that provides affordable housing and social services to low-income families. In that role, she sat on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Community School Advisory Board and on the board of the Human Services Council.

She was also a founding board member of Jumpstart, a national early education organization. Morales believes her combination of personal and professional experiences can make her stand out as a candidate.

She says that if she is elected mayor, she hopes to leverage her experience in the non-profit sector to deliver community- oriented solutions following the COVID-19 pandemic and a nationwide racial reckoning.

“I am running because I want to position myself to actually be able to help create change. It’s important to me to stand up for what is right, no matter the cost” she said.

NBC