Jamaal Bowman
Jamaal Bowman | |
|---|---|
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Jamaal Bowman 1975 or 1976 (age 48–49)[1] New York, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of New Haven Mercy College Manhattanville College |
| Website | Campaign website |
Jamaal Bowman is a former principal and founder of the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, a public middle school in the South Bronx. He is a candidate for New York's 16th congressional district in the 2020 Democratic Party primary.
Early Life
Bowman was born and raised in New York, New York.[2] He has two older sisters and was raised primarily by his grandmother. His mother was a single parent.[2] Bowman moved to New Jersey during high school.[2]
Career
Teaching Career
Jamaal Bowman studied sports management at the University of New Haven and later became a teacher.[3] He founded a public middle school in the South Bronx in 2009, the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action.[4] Bowman became a leading advocate against standardized testing.[3][5] His blog on the role of standardized testing has received national attention.[3] He has written about high-stakes testing's role in perpetuating inequalities,[4] including the turnover, tumult, and vicious cycle it creates in the lives of students and educators, as assessment performance damages a school's ability to teach and, subsequently, the quality of the education upon which the student is assessed. By the mid-2010s, a quarter of Bowman's students had opted out of standardized testing. He also advocated for children to receive arts, history, and science education in addition to the basics of literacy and numeracy.[3] Bowman's school policy used a restorative justice model to address the school-to-prison pipeline.[6] After ten years as principal, he left the job to focus on his congressional campaign.[7]
Congressional campaign
Bowman is running against 31-year incumbent Eliot Engel to represent New York's 16th congressional district. As the June 2020 Democratic Party primary approached, The Intercept reported that Bowman was becoming the favorite for progressives.[8] He was inspired to run by the insurgent 2018 campaign of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez[9] and described his platform as "anti-poverty and anti-racist" with support for housing, criminal justice reform, education, Medicare for All, and a Green New Deal. His grassroots campaign attacked Engel's record on foreign policy and response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as Engel's first political primary opponent in 20 years. Bowman's endorsements from the Justice Democrats, Sunrise Movement, and New York Working Families Party assisted with fundraising despite being well behind Engel.[8] Bowman was additionally endorsed by The New York Times Editorial Board.[10]
References
- ^ Clark, Dartunorro (June 14, 2020). "'Unapologetic': This progressive NYC principal is fighting to unseat a 16-term Democrat". NBC News. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Stephon (2016-03-28). "Jamaal Bowman stumbled into education and doesn't regret it". Village Voice. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ a b c d Tampio, Nicholas (2018). Common Core: National Education Standards and the Threat to Democracy. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 157–159. ISBN 978-1-4214-2464-4.
- ^ a b Sahlberg, Pasi; Doyle, William (2019). Let the Children Play: How More Play Will Save Our Schools and Help Children Thrive. Oxford University Press. pp. 169–170. ISBN 978-0-19-093216-9.
- ^ deMause, Neil (March 28, 2016). "Low-Income Parents Are Caught Between the Growing Opt-Out Movement and the City's Attempts to Clamp Down on Dissent". Village Voice. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Chávez, Aída; Lacy, Akela (June 18, 2019). "Hawkish Democrat Rep. Eliot Engel Is Facing Two Primary Challengers". The Intercept. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ^ Lacy, Akela (May 26, 2020). "At Debate, Progressive Jamaal Bowman Hits Israel Hawk Eliot Engel's Defense Industry Backing". The Intercept. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ^ a b Lacy, Akela (June 1, 2020). "In Final Stretch, Progressives Coalesce Around a Single Challenger to Rep. Eliot Engel". The Intercept. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ^ Cochrane, Emily (June 18, 2019). "Bronx Principal to Challenge Eliot Engel, Powerful House Democrat, From the Left". The New York Times.
- ^ "New York Voters Can Send Some Promising New Faces to Congress". The New York Times. June 12, 2020.
Further reading
- "'If You Want to Call Me a Socialist Then Call Me a Socialist'". Jacobin. October 24, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- Veiga, Christina (June 18, 2019). "Jamaal Bowman, Bronx principal and vocal opt-out supporter, launches primary challenge for Congress". Chalkbeat. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- Vielkind, Jimmy (June 7, 2020). "In New York, a Fight Over the Next AOC". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660.
