Meet Carolyn

Carolyn Maloney started her career as an ESL teacher in East Harlem, New York City. When her program was cut, her colleagues elected her as their advocate to restore funding - and she succeeded, setting an example that has extended throughout her career, first working with the Department of Education and then as a staffer in Albany.

Having gained expertise in the ropes of government in Albany, she returned to run for City Council in a district that spanned East Harlem, South Bronx, Manhattan Valley and Carnegie Hill - and she won. As a City Councilwoman, she fought to clean up government contracts, wrote legislation for public financing of elections, introduced NYS' first LGBTQ+ equality bill, and as the first woman to give birth in the role, fought to pass inclusive paid family leave - all goals she continues to pursue in government today.

Throughout her career, Carolyn has used her voice and position to shine a spotlight on the most important issues of our time - from getting arrested while protesting Apartheid as a city councilwoman to demanding all women and girls - globally - receive true equality and opportunity, to gun control, to demanding accountability for repairs for NYCHA residents, and keeping the Equal Rights Amendment alive and gaining new steam today.

It was her commitment to women's reproductive rights that drove her into Federal office - she filed her papers as soon as the Planned Parenthood v. Casey case put new restrictions on abortion in place. She was elected in a stunning upset victory by unseating an entrenched Republican incumbent who outspent her dramatically - because she had built a coalition of support that stretched throughout her entire district.

Carolyn Maloney has been described by The New York Times as a “prolific” legislator, one of a handful who “stand out for their moxie, kind of the way New Yorkers themselves often do.”

She has made her mark on Washington by standing on her strong and consistent record. Since every lawmaker in Washington knows where Carolyn stands, she has been able to fight tirelessly for New York, leading the Village Voice to call her “a tiger in the House on every dollar due New York.”

Time Magazine has called her “a tenacious, resilient legislator”, and even the New York Post hailed her as one of New York City’s “hardest working lawmakers”. With her hundreds of legislative accomplishments, this quintessential New Yorker quickly became a leader in Congress, earning the respect of her colleagues and ongoing support of her constituents. Her legislative accomplishments have been featured in three films - The Card Game, about her 2009 Credit CARD Act, Overdrawn, a feature-length documentary about predatory banking fees, and Life, Interrupted - a film inspired by Carolyn's work to author and pass the Debbie Smith Act, starring Lea Thompson as rape survivor Debbie Smith. In 2019, she won an 18-year fight to provide health care and compensation to the heroes and survivors of the 9/11 twin tower attacks, with the signing of her 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund bill into law. The fund, now permanently authorized, helps provide stability and compensation to those who rushed to help our country on its darkest day, and rebuild afterwards.

Today, Carolyn's position as a hard-hitting progressive leader is indisputable. She has shown a talent for fostering lasting bipartisan agreement in an increasingly polarized government, without giving up the ideals and causes she's fought for throughout her career: promoting equality, protecting consumers, building infrastructure that serves New Yorkers and the region, extending and protecting healthcare coverage for all, protecting the environment, and working to understand and find solutions for everyday issues like affordable housing and small business support.

En español:

Carolyn Maloney comenzó su carrera como maestra de ESL en East Harlem, Nueva York.

Cuando se cortó su programa, sus colegas la eligieron como su defensora para restaurar los fondos, y ella tuvo éxito, dando un ejemplo que se extendió a lo largo de su carrera, primero trabajando con el Departamento de Educación y luego como miembro del personal en Albany.

Habiendo adquirido experiencia en las cuerdas del gobierno en Albany, regresó para postularse para el Concejo Municipal en un distrito que abarcaba East Harlem, South Bronx, Manhattan Valley y Carnegie Hill, donde ganó. Como concejal de la ciudad, luchó para limpiar los contratos del gobierno, escribió una legislación para el financiamiento público de las elecciones, presentó el primer proyecto de ley de igualdad LGBTQ + del estado de Nueva York y, como la primera mujer en dar a luz en el cargo, luchó para aprobar el permiso familiar inclusivo con sueldo, objetivos por los cuales aun sigue luchando el gobierno.

A lo largo de su carrera, Carolyn ha utilizado su voz y posición para destacar los temas más importantes de nuestro tiempo - desde ser arrestada mientras protestaba contra el Apartheid como concejal de la ciudad, exigiendo tambien los de derechos de todas las mujeres y niñas a nivel mundial para alcanzar igualdad y oportunidades, control de armas, exigir reparaciones para los residentes de NYCHA y mantener viva la Enmienda de Igualdad de Derechos.

Fue su compromiso con los derechos reproductivos de las mujeres lo que la llevó a la oficina federal: presentó sus documentos tan pronto como el caso Planned Parenthood v. Casey impuso nuevas restricciones al aborto. Fue elegida en una sorprendente victoria al derrocar a un republicano, porque había creado una coalición de apoyo que se extendió por todo su distrito.

Carolyn Maloney ha sido descrita por The New York Times como una legisladora "prolífica", una de las pocas que "destacan por su entusiasmo, como lo hacen los neoyorquinos".

Ella ha dejado su huella en Washington al mantenerse su récord fuerte y consistente. Dado que todos los legisladores en Washington saben dónde se encuentra Carolyn, ella ha podido luchar incansablemente por Nueva York, lo que lleva a Village Voice a llamarla "un tigre en la Cámara por cada dólar que le corresponde a Nueva York".

La revista Time la llamó "una legisladora tenaz y resistente", e incluso el New York Post la aclamó como una de las "legisladoras más trabajadoras" de la ciudad de Nueva York. Con sus cientos de logros legislativos, esta neoyorquina por excelencia se convirtió rápidamente en una líder en el Congreso, ganándose el respeto de sus colegas y el apoyo continuo de sus electores. Sus logros legislativos han aparecido en tres películas: The Card Game, sobre su Credit Card Card Act. Overdrawn, un documental de larga duración sobre tarifas bancarias depredadoras, y Life, Interrupted, una película inspirada en el trabajo de Carolyn para autorizar y aprobar Debbie Smith Act, protagonizada por Lea Thompson como la sobreviviente de violación Debbie Smith. En 2019, ganó una pelea de 18 años para brindar atención médica y compensación a los héroes y sobrevivientes de los ataques de las torres gemelas del 11 de septiembre, con la firma de su proyecto de ley del Fondo de Compensación de Víctimas del 11 de septiembre. El fondo, ahora autorizado permanentemente, ayuda a proporcionar estabilidad y compensación a quienes se apresuraron a ayudar a nuestro país en su día más oscuro y a reconstruirlo.

Hoy, la posición de Carolyn como líder progresista contundente es indiscutible. Ella ha demostrado un talento para fomentar un acuerdo bipartidista duradero en un gobierno cada vez más polarizado, sin renunciar a los ideales y las causas por las que ha luchado a lo largo de su carrera: promover la igualdad, proteger a los consumidores, construir infraestructura que sirva a los neoyorquinos y a la región, extender y proteger la atención médica para todos, proteger el medio ambiente; y trabajando para comprender y encontrar soluciones para problemas cotidianos, como viviendas asequibles y apoyo a pequeñas empresas.