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NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK’S YOUNG PROFESSIONALS & LEADERS (YPL) CONVENE HARLEM DISTRICT LEADER ELECTION DEBATE

NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK’S YOUNG PROFESSIONALS & LEADERS (YPL) CONVENE HARLEM DISTRICT LEADER ELECTION DEBATE

Forum at the House of Justice in Harlem Draws a Standing-Room Crowd of Young New York Voters

New York, NY (September 8, 2015) – – On Labor Day, National Action Network’s (NAN) “Young Professionals & Leaders” Committee (YPL) hosted a debate at the House of Justice in Harlem featuring the candidates for the upcoming District Leader elections in Central Harlem’s 70th Assembly District, Part A. The election will be held on Thursday September 10th and the purpose of the “2015 Hon. Theresa Freeman District Leader Election Debate” was to provide the candidates with a platform to speak about their ideas and solutions for resolving issues that impact Harlem. The debate was named after longtime NAN member and Harlem District Leader Theresa Freeman who passed away this year. The event was opened by Rev. Al Sharpton, President of NAN and attended by Assemblyman Keith Wright and other community leaders. The attendees included moderator Dr. Christina Greer and participating candidates William Allen, Vincent Morgan, Afua Atta-Mensah and current Harlem District leader Yasmin Cornelius.

YPL was founded in 2015 by millennials Andrew J. Fede, JD/MBA, Ashley Sharpton, Dominique Sharpton and Stephen Marshall. YPL was created to provide support to young professionals and activists to help them with their careers, entrepreneurial ambitions and social initiatives. Throughout the 2015, 2016 and 2017 election cycles, the committee will be holding a series of political debates and forums (“From Protests to Politics – #Protests2Politics) for upcoming elections that have an impact on Harlem.

“The first District Leader debate in New York City was a success in many ways, and a win for voters in Harlem. For hundreds of people to attend a District Leader debate on a holiday, and on the night before the first day of school for many children, proves that voters are more engaged than ever and they are looking for answers and real solutions from their local representatives,” said Andrew Fede, YPL President. “I believe that Theresa Freeman would be proud of the work that NAN’s Young Professionals are doing in the community and YPL will be conducting a series of debates and town halls throughout 2016 – 2017 to help better inform New York voters and other members of the community, and increase voter engagement.”

According to City & State, the female District Leader election is one of the “most intriguing” local elections of 2015, and with no clear frontrunner, Democratic insiders believe that the race will be hotly contested. Male and female District Leaders are elected every two yearsto the unpaid volunteer elected position. District Leaders play an important role in our community because they have the power to contribute to the election of judges and appointment of candidates to vacant political seats.

PHOTO: (L-R)
Ashley Sharpton- NAN Harlem Young Professionals & Leaders Committee Chairwoman; Stephan Marshall- NAN Harlem Young Professionals & Leaders Committee Chairman; Yasmin Cornelius- Current Harlem District Leader, 2015 District Leader Candidate; Afua Atta- Mensah- Lawyer & Harlem District Leader Candidate; Dr. Christina Greer- Debate Moderator, Fordham University Professor, Author; William Allen- Current Harlem District Leader, 2015 Harlem District Leader Candidate; Rev. Al Sharpton; Attorney Andrew Fede- NAN Harlem Young Professionals & Leaders Committee Chairman & President; Vincent Morgan- Harlem District Leader Candidate

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