Adama Bah came to the U.S. in 1990, at the age of two. She lived in the States and attended public schools. Then, at sixteen, her whole world changed. The law enforcement raided her apartment and handcuffed her, along with her father. She was detained and told she was “illegal.” Her father was deported. Adama was allowed to stay but forced to drop out of school and support her family. Now Adama tells her story to call attention to the plight of others like her.

Victor Davila has been a Bronx based community organizer for over 16 years and attended the University of Vermont. They are the co-founder of the environmental education skate group Eco Ryders, Community organizer/A.C.T.I.O.N program manager at The Point CDC, and is a member of the New York Renews organizing committee.

Luna Fu currently works for New York City Council Member Linda Lee as a Community Liaison. Before joining Council Member Lee’s team, Luna was a Community Services Coordinator at the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and a Housing Counselor at Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE). At AAFE, she worked as the project lead partnering with Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) to conduct pro bono legal clinics which served over 100 individual clients. As a proud first-generation immigrant, Luna is also a native Mandarin speaker. She graduated with a major in Government from Franklin & Marshall College, where she discovered her strong interest in local government and domestic policies. Luna has gained experience in both electoral and non-profit sectors, which empowered her with a firm understanding of the policy landscape and law-making powers. Her personal and professional experiences continue to motivate her to serve and advocate for our communities.

Ebonie Simpson currently serves as the Co-Executive Director of the Lower Eastside Girls Club of NY. In previous roles overseeing special projects and government relations, Ebonie created Girls Club’s signature citywide civic leadership training initiative funded by the NYC Council, spearheaded Girls Club’s expansion initiative to open the Center for Wellbeing and Happiness, and spearheads the replication of LES Girls Club in Brownsville, Brooklyn. She earned a BA in public policy studies at Duke University. Prior to her time at Girls Club, she served as a 2012-13 NYC Urban Fellow and Associate Director at NYC Mayor’s Office.

Ebonie’s background and passion lies at the intersection of equity, social justice and public policy. In her spare time, she sings with the Resistance Revival Chorus and works on equity and policy efforts in New York City and State. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Ebonie is a ten-year resident of Harlem, NYC.

 Ramdat Singh is a public school, special education teacher and District Leader representing the 81st Assembly District in the Bronx. He studied political science and public policy at the City College of New York and earned a Masters of Science in secondary education from Brooklyn College. Currently, Ramdat serves as a board member for the Bronx's Community Board 8 and previously served as the chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee. For the past 10 years, he's been a political organizer, managing political campaigns and launching targeted voter engagement for disenfranchised communities. Previously, he served as the Director of Civic Engagement, launching a culturally responsive voter engagement campaign, targeting Caribbean centric neighborhoods. During the pandemic, Ramdat has organized food pantries and has helped manage the local community fridge in his neighborhood.

Born in New York City, Sam Weinberger serves as Chief of Staff to Council Member Rita Joseph, a Democrat that represents Council District 40 in Brooklyn. Before serving as the Council Member's Chief of Staff, Sam was her Campaign Manager and worked at Milbank LLP as a Legal Assistant in the Project Finance practice, where he supported attorneys in all aspects of domestic and international transactions representing both sponsors and lenders. Before joining Milbank, Sam had multiple internships, including at the United States Congress, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and the New York State Assembly. Sam graduated from the University of Michigan, where he studied history and political science.

Chris Durosimi is a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, and has spent his career advocating for the needs of his community. A former student of Brownsville public schools, Chris knows the importance of a quality, affordable education. When he served as community coordinator for the Mayor’s Pre-K for all initiative, he engaged parents and community stakeholders to ensure every eligible child was enrolled. As part of his public service under the NY City Council, NY State Senate and the NY City Comptroller’s office, Chris organized and managed discretionary funding awards for up to 5,000 community-based organizations, addressed public housing issues, and introduced and tracked legislation. As Director of Government & Community Affairs for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Christopher has combined his community-organizing acumen with his personal passion for environmental protection and conservation. Since 2017, he has spearheaded initiatives that raised awareness and funding for wildlife conservation, education and workforce development.

Wilfredo "Wil" López is the director of government affairs at Urban Resources Institute. He received a B.A. in political science from the College of the Holy Cross and a J.D. from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. Throughout his career, Wil has worked as a legislative city employee, labor organizer, and community advocate, fighting for justice and change. Wil has worked as an immigration defense attorney, at a progressive district attorney's office, and as a legislative director in the New York City Council. In the early days of the pandemic, Wil organized a rent strike against his landlord and, with the help of community organizations, sued and won, forgiving every cent of back rent and debts. Wil and his wife Luisa volunteer for non-profit organizations across the city and serve on various boards. Wil is also a former candidate for the 68th Assembly District in East Harlem.

Tricia Shimamura is a mom, social worker, and the Director of Community Affairs in the Manhattan Borough President’s Office. She manages relationships with community boards, neighborhood associations, and other local leaders throughout the borough. In 2021 Tricia ran for City Council, hoping to be the first person of color to represent her district, and the first Japanese American to be elected in New York City. Tricia began her career as a school social worker and later served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Rep. Carolyn Maloney, where she worked to deliver benefits to 9/11 first responders, completing the 2nd Ave. Subway, and coordinate recovery efforts after Sandy. Tricia is the founder of She Will Rise, and a Board Member for VoteMama Foundation and Eleanor’s Legacy – organizations advocating for diverse and equitable representation for women and mothers.  She is proud to be fighting for a better City for generations to come. 

David Coulibaly, a graduate of Notre Dame's selective Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, seeks to empower and engage the broader African communities as well as NYC residents socially, economically, and politically. He recruited high-impact teachers for Teach for America and worked on the census complete count as program manager for African Communities Together. He also worked at the NY Health and Hospitals as the Test and Trace Corps Bronx Borough Outreach Campaign Director— a public health initiative to reverse the threat of COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic. David taught in Women and Gender Studies covering Civic engagement, Peace, and justice studies. He also joined the NYC Civic Engagement Commission’s Language Assistance Advisory Committee. 

David is currently the Director of Community Services at the Office of the Bronx Borough President where he works to ensure that Bronxites have access to critical resources and oversees several advisory councils.

Sydney Renwick worked in government for nearly 15 years, serving in the non-profit, city, and federal government sectors. Most recently, she served as the Majority Whip’s Chief of Staff, overseeing the Discretionary Budget, Communications, and day-to-day activities. She coordinated the Council Member citywide Transportation Tours and agenda and passed commuter-van legislation and one of the City’s earliest budgets in recent history.

Previously, she was Associate Director of Government and Community Affairs for the NY Public Library. Her commitment to literacy and education started in her role as Bronx and Manhattan Borough Director in the Intergovernmental Affairs Division at the NYC DOE. Prior to her time in education policy, she was the Manager of Government Relations for the Arts for Carnegie Hall and Director of Outreach and Intern Coordinator for U.S. Majority Leader Schumer’s office. Sydney studied Political Science , English and Sociology at the University of Albany/ SUNY Albany.

Esther Debbie Louis, also known as Debbie, is a highly accomplished professional in the field of government and politics. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff to Assembly Member Brian Cunningham and has a wealth of experience in political organizing and community building. Debbie began her career in government as an intern for former Assembly Member Darryl Towns in East New York and has since dedicated herself to supporting candidates throughout Brooklyn.

In addition to her work in government, Debbie is a dedicated student and educator. She is currently completing her second Masters degree at Baruch College and serves as an Adjunct Professor at York College. Her passion for education is reflected in her commitment to students and her community.

Debbie also serves on the executive board of the Kings County Brooklyn Democratic Party. She is a junior board member of the Church Avenue Merchants Block Association (CAMBA) in Brooklyn. 

Born in Guyana, migrating to The Bronx and graduating from Fordham University, Bharati Sukul Kemraj has over 15 years of experience working in media, non-profit, public and government settings and combines a knack for communications with a true passion for community engagement.

As the daughter of the late Pandit Vishnu Sukul, first Guyanese, Hindu Priest to have a NYC Street co-named in his honor, Bharati has dedicated her life to service above self. Working at BronxNet Television, she covered local, national, and international news and in 2012 was hired for her technical skills at Bronx Community Board 11 while serving on Bronx Community Board 9. In 2014, She founded The Bharati Foundation, a charity organization and in 2015 worked in The Bronx Borough President’s Office.

Currently, Ms. Kemraj is a Senior Associate with the office of Patrick B. Jenkins and Associates.

Hannah Moses currently serves as the Director of Public Engagement for Council Member Erik Bottcher. In this role, she handles programming, community outreach, and special projects for Council District 3.  Previously, she served in the Hochul Administration on the Financial Services and Technology portfolio team. Hannah has experience working in campaign field programs, serving as the Field Director for Erik Bottcher’s campaign for City Council and as an Organizer for the Biden campaign in Pennsylvania. 

Hannah is a graduate of Tulane University, where she studied Political Science, International Affairs, and Jewish studies. In her free time, she loves exploring NYC, by transit and by foot!