John,

My name is Yahaira. I'm a former middle school student of Jamaal’s from Cornerstone Academy for Social Action (CASA) in the Bronx. I graduated from CASA in 2011, with my brother, Gabriel, graduating right after in 2012.

Me (left) and my brother, Gabriel (right)

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about my time at CASA and Jamaal's (or Mr. Bowman, as I knew him back in middle school) impact on my education.

CASA is where I learned that my voice mattered. From interactions I had with my teachers to our school-wide community circle, student voices were meaningfully involved in all decision making at Mr. Bowman’s school.

Just like he did with his students, I know Jamaal will work to hear the voices of the people of NY-16. I know that he'll be there, fighting right alongside them. I know that because I've seen firsthand how hard he fought for me, my classmates, and our families.

But he can't do this alone, John. Can you chip in today and support Jamaal’s campaign? His campaign tells me that they need to reach 10,500 more donors to meet their mid-month goal of getting 15,000 individual donors by midnight tomorrow.

Mr. Bowman with CASA alums

Jamaal started CASA because he believes that students from working-class families deserve a quality education and opportunities, especially considering how much our current system favors the wealthy and privileged few.

I still live in the Bronx today, and I've seen Jamaal's impact on hundreds of students, year after year. He's lived in NY-16 for many years and, during that time, he's fought for many of us as an educator, advocate, and neighbor. And now, he’s running to fight for you and your communities in Congress, too.

Jamaal would make a great Congressman, and he'll continue fighting for us in Washington. Unfortunately, our current political system privileges wealthy, white men to fill these positions — and it's going to take a lot of us to help get Jamaal elected.

Can you chip in $5, $10, or whatever you're able to the campaign right now? Your contribution will not only help fund critical voter outreach efforts in these final days — it will also go towards reaching the campaign's mid-month goal of 15,000 individual donors:

It's exciting to see my middle school principal stepping up to represent NY-16. I know he'll do a great job if elected, and I know he deeply appreciates your support.

Thanks for your time and for being a part of this,

Yahaira Ruiz-Ramirez
CASA Middle School, Class of 2011