Humans of the Heights: Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa
For the eighth installment of my series sharing the stories of the people of the Heights, I spoke with New York City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. If you were to meet Carmen on the street you’d find someone who is a passionate advocate and a force for change in her community. In this interview, she discusses her life in politics, her proud heritage and much more.
This is her story:
Avraham Frohlich: Tell me a little bit about your background.
Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa: So I was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated with my family to Washington Heights when I was a child, about three years old. We settled in Inwood, where I have lived practically my entire life. We would go back to DR often. When my grandmother was alive, we would visit her every winter. Those memories are etched in my mind.
But I’ve always felt like a New Yorker. For me, New York always felt like home.
AF: How was it growing up in the Heights?
CDR: You know, this community has always been a cradle community for the Dominican diaspora. And we have been able to have cultural expression here. A lot of my neighbors that I grew up with were also Dominican, so it always felt like a home away from home, if you will.
Though growing up, I was pretty sheltered. Most of my adolescence was spent in school and going to a church youth group two blocks away from my house.
AF: What role has religion played in your life, and how has it informed your advocacy?
CDR: My parents are very, very religious, leaders in the church. I went to an all girls Catholic school for my entire life. My first job was at a church rectory. So it definitely played a role.
Having the church as the background of my life, in a way, has also impacted the way that I see need. My parents were part of a group that would take the Eucharist to sick people in the community. My dad would visit prisons and help serve people behind bars. I grew up seeing that and got a sense of community and what people need.
A lot of the people that were in need in our community would come to the church to look for food, refuge, whatever it was. That played a role in shaping who I am.
AF: How’d you make your way to public office?
CDR: When I started in college I thought I was gonna be a history major, but I quickly found myself lost in those 200-room lectures. So I decided to shift my major from history to political science because the classes were smaller and you could get practical skills. I also started working in the community with after-school mentoring in local public schools.
After college, I decided that I wanted to go to law school, but in that summer between studying for the LSAT and everything else, I decided to go look for a job, and I wound up at an interview at an assembly member’s office on the Upper West Side. People would come in and needed help filling out applications and learning how to navigate government. I began in that office as a scheduler, and before I knew it, five years had passed.
I went from being the scheduler to the community liaison to the district office manager, and by the time I left that office, I pretty much had done every job you could think of, from constituent services to representing the member at community meetings.
And then I decided to come and work for the local government council member here in Washington Heights. In that role, I learned about the city budget, how negotiations happen for communities, and more about advocacy. And during campaign years, I ran campaigns on the side. You know, I just really found a love for the work of getting people elected and also the work on the government side of things.
AF: What was it about your role there that was especially meaningful to you?
CDR: Helping people. You would unlock a problem for someone and find a solution. Usually, when people walk into our offices, they’re walking in desperate because at that point they haven’t been able to get the help that they need. To unlock something for them and really change their condition was something I found meaningful and really enjoyed.
AF: What in your life has motivated you to fight for the issues that mean the most to you?
CDR: So I think the number one issue in my life remains housing. Growing up, I lived in the same building for most of my life. And the conditions in that building were deteriorating. I remember, there was this one year that my dad ended up going on a rent strike because they wouldn’t fix chipped paint and holes in the ceiling. We had a bathroom ceiling collapse, and the landlord wouldn’t fix it. And that is something that has motivated me to be a champion for tenants, for people who don’t have dignified housing.
I’m also the labor chair, so I do a lot around workers’ rights, worker safety, making sure that workers are getting their wages, not having their wages stolen, but also that when they go to work, they’re safe in their work environment.
My mother was a unionized worker; she was a home health aide, and so I saw what it was like to have a parent in the household that was in a stable job. And this is another reason why I gravitate to those issues. Working with organized labor is something I care a lot about.
Obviously, as a woman, I care a lot about women’s issues, so I tend to advocate a lot for the economic empowerment of women and women workers as well.
AF: How has it been to raise your daughter in this community?
CDR: Oh, I love that I get to raise my daughter in this community because she gets to walk the same streets that I walked growing up. But it’s a different community than when I grew up, right? It’s a lot safer. The demographics have shifted, so it’s not as Dominican as when I was growing up, but it still has the remnants of that culture, you know.
If you ask my daughter, she will tell you, ‘I want to live in a house with a backyard and a dog’ because we always want things that we don’t have. She obviously knows she lives in New York City.
But I also see how she lights up when we’re able to get some of her favorite foods. And those foods are usually cultural foods; they feel like a treat. So I know that maybe now she doesn’t see it, but when she gets older, she’s gonna appreciate it. She’s also very aware that I’m a council person, so she’s always pointing out issues.
AF: That’s awesome. What does she say? Like, make bedtime later?
CDR: Like, if we’re walking down the street, and there’s a bunch of garbage, she’d be like, ‘Look, Mom, sanitation has to come pick up a little bit more here because there’s a lot of garbage.’
Or like the other day, we were walking and there was a street light and she was like, ‘Mom, have you ever noticed how big street lights are? They’re like half of me.’ And I said, ‘Yeah,’ and she’s like, ‘That one’s out. How did we get that fixed?’
AF: What do you say to someone who wants to run for public office or wants to get involved in their community?
CDR: I would say the first thing is you gotta get involved first. Find an issue you really care about. Go to the local community board and figure out what’s going on with that issue. Champion something.
Or get involved with a local political club or a local campaign that’s already on the ground so that you get real-life experience. Campaigns may seem easy; they’re not. There are a lot of details that go into them. And also, tell your story. Don’t be afraid to be yourself.
AF: What is your experience with the Jewish community?
CDR: I’ve always been aware that Yeshiva is there, and they’re a partner. And the synagogues in the community. I have a really good relationship, for example, with the Washington Heights JCC. We’re a community partner, so when there are issues that they cannot solve, they call us. You know, I know a lot of Jewish people; I have a lot of Jewish friends. They’ve taught me a lot about observing the holidays. And you know, I think that it’s beautiful that our community gets to have many cultures that can interact with each other.
AF: What’s one piece of advice you could give to Yeshiva University students?
CDR: Continue building the bridges connecting our communities. I think the best way that we show people how connected we are as a community is by coming to east of Broadway often. Frequenting the same spots that people in the community frequent. Don’t make a bubble out of yourself, right? Immerse yourself in the community, and the same for the community. Let’s get to know each other better.
AF: What stops us from being more connected?
CDR: I just think that human beings tend to flock with their own, right? And if I see you walking down the street as a New Yorker, it’s hard to go up to you and start talking to you.
But if there’s a moment, if we’re in the same grocery store, or I see you buying something, you should not be afraid of respectfully going up and asking a question. Approach people.
And volunteering in places that are already immersed in the community is important. Like I told you, the Washington Heights JCC is a place that I feel is educational for everyone. They don’t just help Jewish uptowners; they help everybody.
AF: It was wonderful to get to talk to you. Thank you.
CDR: Thank you so much for coming.
Photo Credit: Council Member Carmen De La Rosa
Photo Caption: Council Member Carmen De La Rosa
