Dianne Morales
Dianne Morales (born June 21, 1967) is an American non-profit executive and political candidate. In 2019, she announced her candidacy for the 2021 New York City mayoral election.[1]
Dianne Morales | |
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Born | |
Alma mater | Stony Brook University (BA) Harvard University (MA) Columbia University (MEd) |
Political party | Democratic |
Website | Campaign |
Early life and education
Morales is Afro-Latina; her parents are from Puerto Rico.[2][3] She was born and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, growing up on DeKalb Avenue, and graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan in New York City.[4][5] She is a single mother.[6][7]
She then went on to attend Stony Brook University.[2] Morales earned a Master of Social Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Master of Education Administration from Columbia University.[8][9][10]
Career
While working at the New York City Department of Education, Morales helped open the Office of Youth Development and School-Community Services under Chancellor Joel Klein, and served as its Chief of Operations from 2002 to 2004.[11][12] From 2004 to 2005, Morales served as a director of The Teaching Commission, a national task force that focuses on improving teaching quality in American schools.[13] Morales was a founding member of Jumpstart, a national early childhood non-profit organization.[11][14] From 2005 to 2009, Morales served as executive director of The Door, a youth development organization that serves over 11,000 young people every year.[15][16]
Since 2010 Morales had been the executive director and chief executive officer of Phipps Neighborhoods in the South Bronx, a Bronx social services organization that fights poverty.[17][3][12][13] Morales serves on the board of the NYC Human Services Council and the Community Schools Advisory Board.[18][13]
Mayoral campaign
In 2019, she announced her candidacy for the 2021 New York City mayoral election.[1] In January 2020 she quit her job to campaign for mayor full time.[19][20] It is her first political campaign.[21] Her campaign-announced priorities include reforming the New York City Housing Authority, desegregating city schools, promoting equitable and affordable mass transit, creating green jobs, building affordable housing, a guaranteed minimum income, rent cancellation, cutting the New York Police Department budget (defunding the police), an elected police oversight body, and reforming the police.[22][23][24][11] She also is looking to create a "community first responders department" to respond to non-criminal issues such as homelessness and mental health that are currently handled by the police.[25] The New York Daily News described her as one of the most progressive candidates in the race.[26] Her goal is to become New York City's first Afro-Latina mayor, and first female mayor.[27][28][29] As of mid-January 2021, she had raised more than $336,000 from donors, spent over $208,000 on her campaign, and had about $127,000 left.[30]
Personal life
She lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant with her two children and her parents.[4]
References
- Kirker, Katie. "'Go Big or Go Home': Dianne Morales Goes for the Top Job in New York City". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- Iqbal, Zainab (November 20, 2020). "Brooklyn Native Dianne Morales Launches Campaign For Mayor". Bklyner.
- Durkin, Erin (November 19, 2020). "Dianne Morales officially kicks off mayoral campaign". Politico.
- Gloria Pazmino (November 12, 2020). "Dianne Morales Touts 'Lived Experience'". NY1.
- Jeff Coltin (December 1, 2020). "Dianne Morales' NYC mayoral campaign theme: 'power to the people'". City & State NY.
- Billy Yost (November 9, 2020). "Dianne Morales Creates the Community She Wants to See". Hispanic Executive.
- "Dianne Morales". 360 MAGAZINE. August 17, 2020.
- "Dianne Morales: Learning from Missteps". bridgespan.org. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- McCue, Kat (January 17, 2020). "Dianne Morales Hosts Meet and Greet". BeLatina. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- Mays, Jeffery C.; Fitzsimmons, Emma G. (December 7, 2020). "5 Highlights of New York Mayor's Race, as Spike Lee Weighs In". The New York Times.
- Khurshid, Samar. "Dianne Morales Officially Launches Campaign for Mayor of New York City". Gotham Gazette.
- Jeff Coltin (August 5, 2019). "Dianne Morales wants to be New York City's first female mayor". City & State NY.
- "Dianne Morales; Secretary; Executive Director and CEO, Phipps Neighborhoods". Human Services Council.
- "Una puertorriqueña busca ser alcaldesa de Nueva York". El Ciudadano. November 22, 2020.
- ""Petitioner and Amicus Briefs Summaries; Sullivan v. Florida; Graham v. Florida"" (PDF).
- "The major 2021 mayoral contenders". City & State NY. December 31, 2020.
- David Cruz (August 29, 2019). "Bronx-Based Nonprofit Director Launches Mayoral Bid". Norwood News.
- Coltin, Jeff (2019-08-05). "Dianne Morales wants to be New York City's first female mayor". City and State New York. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
- Terrell Jermaine Starr. "Mayoral Candidate Dianne Morales Doesn't Want to Return New York City Back to 'Normal'". The Root.
- Honan, Katie (May 28, 2020). "New York City Mayor's Race Feels the Impact of the Coronavirus". The Wall Street Journal.
- "Brooklyn Native Dianne Morales Launches Campaign For Mayor". News Break Brooklyn, NY.
- Williams, Jordan (December 3, 2020). "NYC mayoral contender challenges New York Times for defining candidacy by marijuana use". The Hill.
- "She Helped House New Yorkers. Now Dianne Morales Is Running for Mayor". NY1.
- Smith, Aidan (September 29, 2020). "The Next Step for the New York Left: City Hall". Labyrinth.
- Shahrigian, Shant (November 2, 2020). "Progressive mayoral candidate Dianne Morales wants to rewrite NYC's 'social contract'". The New York Daily News.
- Shahrigian, Michael Gartland, Shant (November 24, 2020). "Fundraising during a pandemic? That's what NYC mayoral candidates are trying to figure out". The New York Daily News.
- "Dianne Morales Officially Kicks Off Mayoral Campaign". BK Reader. November 20, 2020.
- Kirker, Katie. "'Go Big or Go Home': Dianne Morales Goes for the Top Job in New York City". Gotham Gazette.
- "She Helped House New Yorkers. Now Dianne Morales Is Running for Mayor". News Break Brooklyn, NY.
- "Major Financial Disparities in City's Large Mayoral Field". City Limits. January 18, 2021.