Jeffries is first Binghamton alumnus elected to Congress
By Steve Seepersaud
Hakeem Jeffries '92 (center of above photo, courtesy of Jeffries' campaign website, taken by Marie Figueroa), a New York state assemblyman from Brooklyn, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 6. When he is sworn in early next year, he will become the first Binghamton University graduate to serve in Congress. Jeffries will represent the newly formed 8th Congressional district, which includes portions of Brooklyn and Queens.
"I am deeply honored to be headed to Washington to represent the working families of Brooklyn and Queens," Jeffries said in a statement on his website. "Despite this victory, our city is still in the midst of recovering from one of the worst disasters to hit our shores in recent history. Superstorm Sandy devastated many neighborhoods in the 8th District, displacing countless families, shutting down businesses and tattering our historic boardwalk. We have little time for celebration when there is so much pressing work to be done. Together, we will march toward a more perfect union."
In June, Jeffries overwhelmingly won his party's nomination for the House of Representatives. He became a member of the New York State Assembly in 2007, emerging as a champion for working families and a strong advocate of education reform.
In Albany, Hakeem has sponsored bills that include measures to strengthen tenant regulations, protect the civil liberties of New Yorkers and reform state government.Among his successfully sponsored pieces of legislation was a reform of the New York Police Department's stop-and-frisk practices. The law, signed in 2010, prohibits the NYPD from maintaining a database with the personal information of individuals who are stopped, questioned and frisked, but not charged with a crime or violation.
We will feature Jeffries in an upcoming issue of Binghamton University Magazine.
