Rita Joseph, another woman to join the New York City Council
BROOKLYN, N.Y., December 5, 2019—Last Thursday evening, the gathering was at the Yiasou Restaurant on the Bay, Sheepshead Bay that is. About 100 friends and acquaintances responded to Eric Saint-Louis’ invitation to this elegant party for the launching of Rita Joseph’s campaign to represent the 40 th Council District at the New York City Council.
As it’s said in Creole, “pye kout pran devan” (“the short-legged takes off early”). The elections to rejuvenate the City Council won’t be until November 2, 2021, almost two years away. But Rita Joseph and the promotors of her campaign are first out of the door. They’re betting on benefitting not only from the Creole proverb of Rita’s country of birth, but also from that of the country she’s adopted from the time she was one-and-a-half years old: “Early birds get the worms!”
In running for office, Rita Joseph is accomplishing a few things. She’ll be the first female candidate of Haitian descent to represent the 40 th District. She will also increase the rank of women in the City Council, because of the 51 current Council members, only twelve (12) are women. Moreover, she will return the 40 th District to a tradition going back to 1991 when the District became the domain of women.
In a special election in 2007, Dr. Mathieu Eugene, originally from Haiti, was elected to replace Councilmember Yvette Clarke who moved up to be a New York representative in Congress.
Being term-limited, Councilman Eugene can’t run in 2021. Yvette Clarke, who was elected to the City Council in 2001, had replaced her mother, Una Clarke, the first Caribbean woman (from Jamaica) to take her seat at the New York City Council, having been elected in 1991. She held the post for a decade after which she passed the baton to her daughter.
Rita Joseph, a daughter of the 40 th District, has been encouraged from an early age by her immigrant grandparents to take education seriously. So, she was very studious, beginning at PS-139 in the District and graduating from the private Sarah J. Hale High School in Brooklyn, no longer in existence. Her Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts from St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights will be followed by dual Master’s in General and Special Education from Touro College, still in the borough.
A Public-school teacher, Rita Joseph is a proud member of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). A mother raising four boys in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, she’s a community advocate who has been supported by various elected officials while volunteering in several capacities. Now, Rita Joseph is ready to assume her responsibility in taking the 40 th District into a brighter future.
The composition of an excited audience, with a majority of millennials and a good representation of first- generation Haitians speaks volume about the drawing power of Eric Saint-Louis and an auspicious debut of Rita Joseph’s campaign. That Borough President Eric Adams also showed up, mixing around with the attendees is very encouraging.
You can support Rita’s campaign by enlisting your friends for the campaign and by making checks payable to the “Committee to Elect Rita Joseph,” and mailed to 289 21 st St., Apt. 1R, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215. You don’t need to live in the District or even in New York to contribute. Note, however, that Campaign Finance Board regulations prohibit contributions from corporations or LLCs and limits individual contributions to $1,000.
Ray Joseph, the former Haitian ambassador to the United States, a graduate pastor, opened the meeting with an invocation and explained to the audience the meaning of the meeting for him, before he introduced the main personality of the evening: Rita Joseph, the next Councilmember to represent the 40 th District. See Mr. Joseph’s speech in adjoining columns, as well as excerpts from Rita Joseph’s own speech.
an error occurred when this article was transferred. Here is the original full text. We are sorry for this error. This publication is a special collaboration with the weekly newspaper,Haïti-Observateur, edition of december 11, 2019, VOL XXXXIX No.48, and will be found at P.1, 7, 15 : http://haiti-observateur.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/H-O-11-d%C3%A9cemb-2019.pdf
