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Maria is an organizer and working-class Latina. She is the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants and has lived in West Harlem her entire life. Maria understands firsthand what it means to go through New York City’s public school system and the hardships of living in an underserved community of color. She has also seen her college Columbia University rapidly gentrify her community and displace her neighbors. That’s why she is running to represent us on the City Council.

Maria became an organizer because she witnessed the struggles of her community. This led her to organize in her community through local gardens, her local church, and her building, 3333 Broadway, where she has advocated for tenants’ rights and environmental justice. She believes that everyone deserves the right to a clean environment and has organized a recycling initiative in 3333 Broadway, where recycling was introduced and tenants learned that they have the power to make a difference in their environment. Maria was inspired by Bernie Sanders’s campaign for president because she realized the power workers have when they stand together. Maria organized on her campus for striking graduate workers, in her community for a democratically controlled utilities company, and for a society where we put people over profits. She has registered working-class people of color to vote and reminded them that together, they can win what they deserve.