Jabari Brisport (born August 9, 1987) is an American politician, activist, and former public school teacher. He is the state senator for
New York's 25th State Senate district
New York's 25th State Senate district is one of 63 districts in the New York State Senate. It has been represented by Democrat Jabari Brisport since 2021, succeeding fellow Democrat Velmanette Montgomery. District 25 is currently the most Democra ...
in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, and the first openly gay person of color ever elected to the
New York State Legislature
The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...
.
Early life and education
Brisport was raised in
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Prospect Heights is a neighborhood in the northwest of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The traditional boundaries are Flatbush Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Eastern Parkway – beginning at Grand Army Plaza – to the ...
,
by a Caribbean immigrant father and a second-generation Brooklynite mother. During Brisport's childhood, his father worked at a
sheet metal
Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Sheet metal is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes.
Thicknesses can vary significantly; ex ...
factory, and his mother was an office manager.
He graduated from
Poly Prep
Poly Prep Country Day School (commonly known as Poly Prep) is an independent, co-educational day school
A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions du ...
, a private high school in
Park Slope
Park Slope is a neighborhood in northwestern Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park and Prospect Park West to the east, Fourth Avenue to the west, Flatbush Aven ...
, Brooklyn. He attended
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
Tisch School of the Arts
The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University.
Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...
and the
Yale School of Drama
The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...
.
Career
Education
Brisport taught math to 6th and 7th graders at Medgar Evers College Preparatory School, a public school in
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard/East New Yo ...
.
He is a member of the
United Federation of Teachers
The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) is the labor union that represents most teachers in New York City public schools. , there were about 118,000 in-service teachers and 17,000 paraprofessional educators in the union, as well as about 54,000 ...
(UFT) union.
Activism
At age 22, Brisport began organizing efforts in support of a bill to legalize
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
in New York.
The bill was defeated in 2009, but Brisport continued organizing around the issue and same-sex marriage was legalized in New York two years later.
A few years after that, Brisport got involved in the burgeoning
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...
movement and began organizing rallies and protests, as well as training protesters on what to do if stopped or harassed by the police.
In 2017, he traveled to
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
, to march in the counter-protest of a
Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, ...
.
Brisport joined the
Democratic Socialists of America
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...
(DSA) shortly after
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's election as president, and got involved in their work on access to
affordable housing
Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on affo ...
. He quickly became a leader in the fight against the private development of the
Bedford Union Armory
The Bedford Union Armory (now officially known as the Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Community Center) is a historic National Guard armory building located in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It is a brick and stone ...
in Crown Heights.
2017 City Council race
In 2017, Brisport ran against incumbent
Laurie Cumbo
Laurie A. Cumbo (born February 4, 1975) is an American politician and Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. A Democrat, she served in the New York City Council for the 35th district from 2014 to 2021, which includes t ...
in the 35th
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...
District. In a rare
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
primary, he defeated Scott Hutchinson, 32 votes to 4.
Brisport was partially inspired to run for office by
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
and
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of th ...
. He was endorsed by
Our Revolution
Our Revolution (sometimes known by its initials OR) is an American progressive political action organization spun out of Senator Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign to continue its work. The organization's mission is to educate vote ...
,
New York Communities for Change,
and the New York Chapter of
Democratic Socialists of America
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...
.
He lost the election, receiving 29% of the vote.
Brisport earned more independent votes than any council candidate since 2003.
2020 State Senate race
![Jabari Brisport, June 18, 2020](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Jabari_Brisport%2C_June_18%2C_2020.jpg)
In 2019, Brisport announced a run for the
New York State Senate 25th District seat being vacated by
Velmanette Montgomery
Velmanette Montgomery (born December 22, 1942) is an American Democratic Party politician who represented the 25th district of the New York State Senate from 1984 until 2020. The district comprised Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, Red Hook, Bedfor ...
. On September 29, 2019, he was endorsed by the
Democratic Socialists of America
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...
. His campaign did not accept any donations from the real estate industry or any for-profit corporations. Instead, it received donations from over 7,000 individuals, breaking the record for most donors to a New York State-level campaign. According to the campaign, it also had the support of over 1,000 volunteers. His campaign was also endorsed by
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of th ...
,
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
,
Cynthia Nixon
Cynthia Ellen Nixon (born April 9, 1966) is an American actress, activist, and theater director. For her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), she won the 2004 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supp ...
,
New York Communities for Change, and the
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party (WFP) is a minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Nev ...
.
On election night of the Democratic primary on June 23, 2020, Brisport led the race with 52.25% of the vote against sitting Assemblywoman
Tremaine Wright
Tremaine Wright (born November 2, 1972) is the Chairwoman of the New York State Cannabis Control Board and a former member of the New York State Assembly from the 56th district, which includes parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn.
On Septemb ...
and former Montgomery staffer Jason Salmon. But there were more
absentee ballots
An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated. Methods include voting at a different location, postal voting, proxy voting and online vot ...
than usual due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, and on election night there were still 26,000 absentee ballots to be counted. Brisport declared victory on July 23, once the absentee ballots had been counted and his lead over Wright had grown to 10,000 votes. He won the November general election, becoming the first openly gay person of color ever elected to the New York legislature.
2022 State Senate race
In 2022, Brisport faced
Conrad Tillard
Conrad Bennette Tillard (born September 15, 1964) is an American Baptist minister, radio host, activist, politician, and author.
Tillard was in his early years a prominent minister of the black nationalist organization the Nation of Islam (NOI) ...
in the State Senate district 25 race.
Brisport was backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and by unions including 1199SEIU and District Council 37. Tillard was endorsed by
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, State Senator
Kevin Parker, and former New York City Councilman
Robert Cornegy
Robert E. Cornegy Jr. (born September 24, 1965) is an American politician. He is a former New York City Council Member for the 36th district, representing Bedford-Stuyvesant and northern Crown Heights in Brooklyn.
A Democrat, he was an unsu ...
.
Tillard ran as a more moderate and centrist candidate than Brisport, and was critical of his support of
socialism
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
.
Brisport won re-nomination in the three-way race, with 70% of the vote to Tillard's 16%.
Political positions
Brisport came to identify as a
democratic socialist
Democratic socialism is a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within a ...
through
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
's presidential campaign, for which he volunteered as a canvasser and phone-banker.
He is a member of the
Democratic Socialists of America
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...
(DSA).
Brisport was arrested while protesting the re-development of the vacant
Bedford Union Armory
The Bedford Union Armory (now officially known as the Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Community Center) is a historic National Guard armory building located in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It is a brick and stone ...
in
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Crown Heights is bounded by Washington Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Empire Boulevard/East New Yo ...
.
He argued that the development should be 100% affordable housing.
He has advocated for a vacancy tax and a ''
pied-à-terre
A ''pied-à-terre'' (, plural: ''pieds-à-terre''; French for "foot on the ground") is a small living unit, e.g., apartment or condominium, often located in a large city and not used as an individual's primary residence. The term implies use of ...
'' tax.
Brisport, who is vegan, supports a ban on the commercial sale of cats, dogs, and rabbits, as well as on the
sale and manufacture of fur clothing. He defends outlawing cruel
animal farming
Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, startin ...
practices and redirecting
dairy subsidies into programs for dairy farmers to exit the industry.
References
External links
Official website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brisport, Jabari
Living people
New York University alumni
New York (state) Greens
Democratic Party New York (state) state senators
New York (state) socialists
21st-century American politicians
Male actors from New York City
Activists from New York City
Democratic Socialists of America politicians from New York
Tisch School of the Arts alumni
People from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Yale School of Drama alumni
Politicians from Brooklyn
1987 births
American gay actors
Gay politicians
LGBT state legislators in New York (state)
LGBT African Americans