Adam Clayton Powell IV with Charlie Rangel for Congress
[Op-Ed: Elections 2014]
I’ve served El Barrio/East Harlem. As a district leader, City Councilmember, and State Assembly Member, I’ve seen the hardships our community faced.
Poverty, unemployment, violence, and now the East Harlem Explosion but through it all, there’s been one man in Congress who has fought for us: Charlie Rangel.
We’ve worked together to create good jobs, build affordable housing, and improve our schools. Charlie Rangel has been a leader for us, standing up for our values in Congress and delivering what we need.
So it’s obvious why I’m endorsing Charlie Rangel and why you should, too. We’ve stood together for our neighborhoods and I stand with Charlie today.
Public service brought us together and that’s especially poignant after the debate last Thursday at Abyssinian Baptist Church, my father’s old congregation. When he was in Congress, one of my father’s proudest accomplishments was the bill to raise the minimum wage. As chair of the Ways and Means Committee, Charlie Rangel enacted the law to increase the minimum wage for the first time in a decade and now he is once again leading the effort to ensure that all Americans earn a fair wage.
For the last seventy years, Uptown has sent leaders to Congress to fight for us. Whether it’s in support of raising the minimum wage, ensuring that everyone has healthcare, fighting for good schools or affordable housing, we’ve made our voices heard. Charlie Rangel has passed more laws than any other currently-serving member of Congress and whether you’re my neighbor in El Barrio or you live in Norwood, Inwood, Washington Heights, Harlem, or anywhere else, he’s made a difference for you.
That’s why I’m backing Charlie Rangel and am hosting an East Harlem Family Reunion in his honor on Wednesday, April 23rd at 6 PM at the Taino Towers Senior Center in East Harlem (2383 2nd Ave; between 122nd and 123rd Streets).
Adam Clayton Powell IV
Former New York State Assembly Member, East Harlem
