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Revision as of 22:00, 2 August 2010 by Nycapple123 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Hakeem Jeffries was born in Brooklyn Hospital, and raised by his parents in Crown Heights along with his younger brother. He is a product of the New York City public school system, graduating from Midwood High School in 1988. He is also an active member of the Cornerstone Baptist Church, and lives in Prospect Heights with his wife, Kennisandra, and their two young boys. Assemblyman Jeffries was sworn in as a newly elected member of the New York State Legislature in January 2007. During his first term in the legislature, Assemblyman Jeffries emerged as a champion of working families, the middle class and senior citizens. Assemblyman Jeffries has introduced bills that include measures designed to assist residents in foreclosure, protect tenants from landlord harassment and facilitate the successful re-entry of formerly incarcerated individuals.
In January 2009, Assemblyman Jeffries launched Project Reclaim, an initiative designed to transform vacant luxury apartments into affordable homes for working and middle class families. He also co-sponsored the groundbreaking 421-a law that requires developers who receive tax breaks to build affordable housing in the Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights and Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhoods that he represents. At least fifty percent of the affordable housing must go to people who live in the community.
During the most recent legislative session, Assemblyman Jeffries introduced 70 bills with several passing the Assembly. Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Jeffries and Senator Velmanette Montgomery renamed Kings County State Office Building in memory of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.
Assemblyman Jeffries regularly conducts town hall meetings on issues such as mass transportation, public safety and education. Throughout the summer, he takes his office to street corners across the district on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, setting up a desk outside and meeting with his constituents as they return home from work. Assemblyman Jeffries also founded Operation Preserve, a free housing clinic that provides legal representation and advice for residents confronting displacement, eviction or harassment. Additionally, he implemented a new pilot program called “Lawyer for a Day” to provide legal assistance to litigants without representation in non-payment housing court proceedings.
Assemblyman Jeffries obtained his bachelor’s degree in political science from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he graduated with honors for outstanding academic achievement. He then received his master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University. Assemblyman Jeffries attended New York University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1997, served on the law review, finished in the top 10 percent of his class and delivered the commencement speech at graduation.
Following the completion of law school, Assemblyman Jeffries clerked for the Honorable Harold Baer Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Prior to his election to the Assembly, he practiced law for several years at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton Garrison, an internationally renowned law firm, and then in the litigation department of a Fortune 100 company.
Issues
External links
- NYS Assembly Member - Hakeem Jeffries - 57th Assembly District
- Hakeem Jeffries Official website.
- A Crain's New York Business article.
- YouTube.
- Facebook page.
- Harlem Slips as Center of Black Politics
- NY Times, City Seeks to Turn Stalled Projects into Moderate-Income Housing
