City-Politics

After Joe Biden was pronounced president-elect of the United States in November, crowds of students and community residents gathered in the streets outside Columbia’s gates to celebrate. Now, with Biden officially inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, local residents of Morningside Heights and West Harlem say they continue to look toward the future of Biden’s presidency with optimism.

In front of an array of posters emblazoned with red and black slogans, the Columbia-Barnard Young Democratic Socialists of America mounted a rally in support of its tuition strike. The rally began with a press conference in front of University President Lee Bollinger’s 60 West Morningside Drive home and culminated in a march to the steps of Low Library.

Just after Election Day, I saw room for optimism. Republicans had gained seats in the House, limiting the Democrats’ power to jam through partisan legislation. Many of the newly-elected Republican representatives were moderate ones from diverse backgrounds: Among them were two of the first three Korean American women ever elected to Congress. Donald Trump was defeated, and Joe Biden—a candidate running on a promise to restore the soul of the nation—won.

As the fall 2020 semester comes to an end, we’re all looking forward to enjoying our winter break. However, as much as we are excited for next semester, many of us are still questioning whether it is safe to return to campus and the city. Although it is ultimately your own decision, here are some questions to consider while you prepare for next semester.

I came to New York City when I was four. I spent the next seven years living in a flat in Gravesend. Perhaps the most aptly named neighborhood in the city, Gravesend is as weary and empty as its name suggests. I don’t remember much about those days besides that the winters were cold; sharing a room, my sister and I would sleep in winter coats because the heater was broken.

The upcoming June 2021 New York City Council election has candidates vying for a spot in the District 7 City Council race. However, they have already received unprecedented amounts of monetary contributions to their campaigns, with many receiving unprecedented levels of support from those in real estate.

We are now only a few days past November 3. While the final results of the election are still unclear, it is evident that both parties have a lot of thinking to do. The Democratic post-mortem will focus on the party’s stunning loss of seats in the House and failure to perform as expected in the race for control of the Senate. Similarly, Republicans will have to consider how their party is becoming increasingly reliant on the electoral college and figure out a way to win more suburban and college-educated voters.

When Maria Ordoñez, CC ’21, walked into the New York State Board of Elections office in February, a stack of registration forms in hand, she could already feel history unfolding at her fingertips.

Community Board 9 members Marti Cummings and Dan Cohen have emerged as early frontrunners in a competitive West Harlem City Council race. In a post-pandemic city, council members will face unprecedented challenges—including a $9 billion revenue shortfall—making their role, which includes negotiating the city’s budget, a crucial one.

While the world remains captivated by the now-famous fly that spotted Pence as the perfect matter of decay to feed on, I pose this question: Can we as Black and Indigenous families, whose lives depend upon policy change, truly expect to see legal justice, neighborhood development, and real community sustainability from either the Republican or Democratic presidential candidates? While close attention must be placed on the 2020 presidential election, our communities need change today. Our attention should be equally focused on opportunities for change at the federal, state, and local levels by electing leaders who prioritize full participatory policymaking, a foundation for social and economic sustainability for communities such as Harlem and the greater New York City, and will not continue to promote performative change without real solutions.