Hi John,

Today we express our deep appreciation for the campaign that Congressman Jamaal Bowman and his team ran, one centered in love, equity, and a vision for a better future for all of us. Jamaal and his team fought valiantly for the future of Black and brown communities, for all of us, and his dedication to public education and a broader fight for justice show us how interconnected these battles for equity truly are.

While Congressman Bowman’s loss in yesterday's primary election in New York’s 16th Congressional District is weighing heavy on us now, we continue to fight for our shared vision of a multiracial democracy — one where standing against a genocide is not a debate, our public schools are fully funded, and food and housing insecurity is a thing of the past.

The opposing campaign’s only goal, by contrast, was to sew fear and division, and the dirty tactics they resorted to proved hard to overcome - misinformation, racist tropes, and fear mongering disseminated over the airwaves and in mailers by AIPAC. We should all be concerned about the tens of millions of dollars spent to defeat an incumbent for speaking out against a genocide. It’s a precursor of the unfolding fight we’re going to see more often in districts across the country.

Like Jamaal, we are choosing not to give up, but move forward —to build people power and support those who fight for a future where every child has access to a quality public education and every community is free from inequity and discrimination.

Thank you, Jamaal, for your unwavering commitment to our kids and New York’s future. We’re going to continue fighting for justice, humanity, and equity for our kids, our working families, and the wider global community, and we know you will be right there along with us!

Are y’all ready to keep fighting? Cause we are.

In solidarity,

Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari
Co-Executive Director
Alliance for Quality Education