Mayor Bill DeBlasio (above), as well as Councilman Andy King, Senator Gustavo Rivera, Assemblyman Victor Pichardo and other elected officials and community leaders, joined Al Sharpton at the National Action Network headquarters in Harlem for the group’s weekly meeting, which was a rally pushing the Mayor’s Universal Pre-K funding plan.
Councilman Andy King (above), who represents Baychester, Wakefield and Co-op City, spoke about the importance of a dedicated funding stream in ensuring the program can thrive for the long run.
“But what we’re saying in the City Council is listen, if we want to really commit to Universal Pre-K, we need nothing to ever get in the way.” said King. “What’s really important? Is it about getting reelected, or is it about our children having a fresh start to life?”
Harlem Congressman Charlie Rangel, whose district now includes a sizable portion of the Bronx and is facing a primary challenge from Senator Adriano Espaillat, also spoke at the rally.
Senator Rivera, who endorsed Espaillat this week over Rangel, said, “Are we going to reinvest in our young people, are we going to invest in the folks that are going to be our future, or are we going to just give the money back to the folks who already have got money in their pockets?”
Assemblyman Pichardo, who represents Tremont and Fordham Heights, also focused on De Blasio’s call for a dedicated funding stream:
“It’s not fair that we have individuals and elected officials of privilege who say we can do it this way and that way,” Pichardo said. “The only way Universal Pre-K can work is if we have a dedicated funding stream to make sure that we have the resource to support this program. That’s what the Mayor’s been saying for days.”
Watch the whole rally here.
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