In a show of grassroots support, City Council candidate Tricia Shimamura announced endorsements from 50 community leaders Thursday, including those from NYCHA residents, small business owners and labor advocates.
For example, Tricia Shimamura, who is the Community Board 8 First Vice Chair and the Parks and Waterfront Committee Co-Chair, said, “When you invest here, I can’t think of a better image of environmental justice, I can’t think of a better way of making an investment in our healthy communities and our wellness.”
“I have seen firsthand how hard Tricia works for our community, whether it was helping 9/11 first responders access healthcare services or fighting to preserve our parks and open space as a member of Community Board 8,” Maloney said in a statement. “I look forward to working with her as our next Council Member so we can tackle the needs of our district.”
Similarly, Upper East Side candidate Tricia Shimamura is the only mother in her race. She said the City Council would benefit from having more women, and especially more mothers, shaping policy, while acknowledging that motherhood has traditionally been an obstacle to running. “That’s why endorsements like 21 in ’21 matter,” Shimamura said. “It means that somebody believes in me, even though I’m a young mother and we face a lot of criticism on the campaign trail.”
Tricia Shimamura, a CB 8 Board Member who is running for a City Council seat next year, said she volunteered her time because she wanted to ensure that the community is informed.
“Maternal death is not an inevitability,” says manifesto for hospital action and accountability, spurred by Upper East Side candidate Tricia Shimamura following her own birthing ordeal.
"Ending this crisis involves all of this and more. It’s also going to take all of us to come together and say no more mothers lost. Black lives matter. Black mothers matter. It’s time we prove it by demanding justice in maternity. "
As the conversation died down, Shimamura reiterated the importance of youth opinions in shaping the best possible policies she hopes to pursue. “As long as this campaign is going and even afterwards, I will continue to make room for you,” she assured the students.
"But this squirrel is staying here, and I hope you do too. Yes, things are bad right now and it’s probably going to take a long time to get better. But I want to remind you that there’s still a lot of good stuff here worth sticking around for...However, this pandemic has also shown just how precious parts of our city life are, and we have an opportunity to fight not just for the return of what was, but for more of what we love."
The UES has never elected a person of color to city, state or federal office. Tricia Shimamura aims to change that.