Robert Jackson (New York politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Jackson
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Jackson in 2023
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| Member of the New York State Senate from the 31st district |
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| Assumed office January 1, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Marisol Alcantara |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 7th district |
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| In office January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Stanley Michels |
| Succeeded by | Mark D. Levine |
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| Born | December 18, 1950 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Faika Jackson |
| Children | 3 |
| Residences | New York City, New York, USA |
| Alma mater | SUNY New Paltz |
| Website | |
Robert Jackson (born December 18, 1950) is an American politician. A politician helps make decisions for a community or country. Robert Jackson is a member of the Democratic Party, one of the main political parties in the U.S. He represents District 31 in the New York State Senate. This is a group of lawmakers who create laws for the state of New York.
Before this, he worked in the New York City Council from 2002 to 2013. He represented the 7th district in Manhattan. Robert Jackson is also the first Muslim person to become a New York State Senator.
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Early Life and School Days
Robert Jackson was born in Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City. His mother was Zelma Jackson, and his father was Eddie Chu, who came from China. He grew up in both Manhattan and The Bronx.
As a child, he went to several schools in New York City. He attended P.S. 186 in Washington Heights. He also went to P.S. 146, Junior High School 120, and Benjamin Franklin High School in The Bronx. When he was young, he earned money by selling newspapers.
Jackson graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1975. After college, he worked for the New York State Department of Labor. He also worked for the Public Employees Federation, which is a labor union. A labor union is a group that helps workers get fair pay and good working conditions. In 1986, he was chosen to be on New York City Community School Board 6.
Fighting for Fair School Funding
In 1992, Robert Jackson was the elected president of Community School Board 6. He felt that New York City public schools were not getting enough money from the state. He believed this was unfair to students.
He decided to take action and sued the state. He worked with the school board's lawyer, Michael A. Rebell. Together, they started a group called the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. In 1993, they filed a lawsuit called CFE v. State of New York.
What Was the Lawsuit About?
The lawsuit argued that New York State's way of giving money to schools was not fair. It said that children in New York City were not getting enough support for their public education. This, they argued, went against the rules in the New York State Constitution. It also went against the federal Civil Rights Act, which protects people from unfair treatment.
The Court's Decision
On June 26, 2003, the New York State Court of Appeals made a big decision. This is the highest court in New York State. The court agreed with Robert Jackson and the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. They told the State to make changes by July 30, 2004.
However, lawmakers could not agree on how to fix the problem. So, the Court of Appeals asked a special group to help. In 2005, this group suggested that New York City schools should get an extra $5.6 billion each year. A judge named Leland DeGrasse accepted this plan.
In 2007, the Legislature created the Foundation Aid Formula. This formula was meant to give the schools the money they needed over four years. But then, a money crisis happened from 2009 to 2012, and the funding was stopped. The schools have not yet received all the money they were promised. Robert Jackson has continued to speak out about this issue.
Serving on the New York City Council
In 2001, Robert Jackson was elected to the New York City Council. He represented the 7th district as a Democrat.
What Does the City Council Do?
The New York City Council is the main law-making body for New York City. Council members help make decisions about the city's budget, laws, and services.
Before 2013, Jackson's district included parts of Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood. During his time on the Council, he was the Chair of the Education Committee. He also co-chaired the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus. He was re-elected twice. He served three terms until 2013, when he could no longer run due to term limits. Term limits mean a person can only serve for a certain number of years in that position.
Robert Jackson is Muslim. He was the only Muslim member of the City Council during his time there.
Running for Manhattan Borough President
In early 2013, Jackson announced he would run for Manhattan Borough President.
What is a Borough President?
New York City has five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. Each borough has a Borough President. This person acts as a leader and advocate for their borough. They help plan for the borough's future and speak up for its residents.
In his campaign, Jackson often talked about the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. He said that his work helped bring "billions of additional dollars each year to improve our public schools."
Jackson was the only male and Black candidate in the race. He received support from former mayor David Dinkins, who was New York City's first Black mayor. His opponents in the Democratic Primary were former city council members Jessica Lappin and Gale Brewer. He also ran against Julie Menin, a business owner.
Jackson lost the election to Gale Brewer. He came in third place with 19% of the votes.
Becoming a New York State Senator
First Attempts to Join the Senate
In 2014, Robert Jackson ran for the New York State Senate. He wanted to represent the 31st State Senate district. He ran against the person who already held the job, Adriano Espaillat. In the election, Jackson lost with about 43% of the votes.
In 2016, Espaillat decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. This meant his State Senate seat was open. Jackson ran for the seat again. It was a close election, and Jackson came in third place with 30% of the votes. He lost to Marisol Alcantara.
Winning a Senate Seat
In 2018, Robert Jackson ran for State Senate District 31 for the third time. This time, he won! He received 56% of the votes, defeating Alcantara, who was the person holding the seat.
Jackson's win was partly because some people were unhappy with Alcantara. She had joined a group of Democratic senators who worked with the Republican party. Jackson had support from Micah Lasher, who had been a rival in the 2016 election.
In November 2018, Jackson easily won the general election. He received 89% of the votes in his district, which usually votes for Democrats. With this win, he became the first Muslim state senator in New York. In the Senate, Robert Jackson is the Chairman of the Committee on Cities.
Robert Jackson's Family Life
Robert Jackson has three daughters. He met his wife, Faika Jackson, when they were in college. He and his family currently live in Washington Heights, New York City.
