State Senator Jabari Brisport told Brooklyn constituents to remain resolute and to fight for their rights after the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency.
During his State of the District speech on Thursday at P.S. 23 Carter G. Woodson Elementary School in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brisport said that the far-right members of the country want to make Brooklyn residents feel powerless.
"Brooklyn is built on a radical determination to live freely in community. Those who came before us passed down not only the responsibility to continue that fight, but the spirit and the wisdom to succeed in it. The incoming federal government will have to contend with us," he told about 200 constituents.
The senator said state laws be used to help protect Brooklyn residents. Some are already in place, he said, referring to the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment in November.
But more can be done, he added. Brisport called for Albany to not reduce funding for physical and social infrastructure programs, including child care, public housing and school lunches, despite possible cuts in federal funding from the incoming administration.
"Unfortunately, the incoming, far-right national government is likely to make dramatic cuts to our budget instead of investments," Brisport said. "Each of these programs is vital to the well being of our city and our economy, and each is already significantly underfunded. New York must prepare to protect our infrastructure."
The senator then called for an increase in corporate and inheritance taxes, which he said would boost the economy. He also brought up the New York Health Act, which proposes universal health care across the state based on a single-payer health plan, and would curb profits for insurance companies.
"Positive change is possible, and it is very necessary at every level of governance," Brisport said. "Life is getting harder for the rest of us in far too many ways, but we can change that, starting right here in New York. We don't have to settle for what we're told will work, or what we're told is possible."
Brisport also moderated a panel called "Combating Fascism Under Trump" with local community leaders that included Reverend Andrew Wilkes, a co-lead pastor of the Double Love Experience Church and the author of the book Plenty Good Room: Co-Creating an Economy of Enough for All; Rabbi Abby Stein, an author, transgender activist and recipient of Senator Brisport's 2024 Woman of Distinction Award; the President of Brooklyn NAACP L. Joy Williams; and Colette Pean and Keenan Toure of The December 12th Movement, a Black human rights organization.
Topics of the discussion included Brooklyn's biggest challenge with the incoming administration, how communities can defend the vulnerable and what kind of hope was being built from community organizers. Some solutions that were offered included a need for strong community ties and education to stop further division.
"I can promise you that we're going to come out stronger," Rabbi Stein said. "But I am, at the same time, terrified of how many people we are going to lose, and for that we're going to stay dedicated."
Williams said she was not as fearful of having another hostile administration.
"I think it's really about empowering people to recognize and to remember that power and to not succumb to the spirit," she said.
By the end of the evening, Senator Brisport said he was inspired from the discussion.
"I got to talk to people one-on-one. Their excitement about the organizing happening in the district strengthened my confidence that we can rise to this moment together," he said.
The senator said he's calling for the state legislature to reconvene in a special session so he can push for a package of bills "to inoculate New York as much as possible against what we expect from the incoming far-right federal government."
