Earlier this year I ran for lieutenant governor of New York, after spending 20 years building and leading organizations that fight for everyday people, like Make The Road Action. Our campaign purposefully centered the dreams and struggles of tenants, workers, students and parents, and we rallied people around a simple, powerful declaration: We deserve a New York that puts the needs of working families before the wants of billionaires.
While our race may have ended, the fight for a better New York continues. Those of us organizing hard for the future we deserve — from universal healthcare to affordable housing — know what’s at stake for all New Yorkers, both in the upcoming Aug. 23 primary and in the years ahead. New York is one of the richest states in the country, but millions of New Yorkers are struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, and keep their families afloat. This is a reality we do not have to accept.
We need elected leaders in Albany who are bold, courageous, rooted in their communities, and willing to fight alongside us for the New York we know is possible.
That’s why I’m proud to endorse Gustavo Rivera for reelection to the state Senate.
Now, more than ever, we need steadfast fighters with a record of progressive accomplishments for our state — and Sen. Rivera has that record. He has fought tirelessly to keep public schools across the Bronx open and fully funded. He has demanded accountability from real estate interests so all of us have the right to fair housing and tenant protections. And he has used his position as chair of the New York State Senate Health Committee to demand a just and equitable COVID recovery, fight for universal health care and ensure the most vulnerable New Yorkers have access to the care they need.
But more than that, Gustavo Rivera is one of us. A lifelong organizer himself, he has stood by the labor movement and fought on the ground for labor protections, fair wages and equitable working conditions. He shares the story of so many of us: moving from Puerto Rico to the Bronx, finding his home and community here, and choosing to pay that forward by fighting for all of us.
Twelve years ago, Gustavo successfully unseated a corrupt state senator who ultimately went to jail for stealing from our communities. That campaign put in full display Gustavo’s tenacity, courage, integrity and his love for the community that welcomed him as a young man, and elected him as their representative. Gustavo’s values haven’t changed since. Today, as his opponent rakes in hundreds of thousands of dollars in dark money, he has stood firm on his pledge to serve our communities first, promising a Bronx that will never be for sale.
We need that kind of courage and integrity back in Albany — and we have the opportunity to ensure it stays there.
I proudly support Gustavo Rivera for state Senate, and I call on New Yorkers across the Bronx to do the same.
Ana María Archila was a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor and has been a leader in New York and nationally in the fight for immigrant rights, worker justice, LGBTQ rights and women’s rights for two decades.
