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District 18 - Council Member - Democrat - Amanda FarÃas is the Council Member for the 18th District, representing parts of Castle Hill, Clason Point, Harding Park, Parkchester, Shorehaven, and Soundview. Amanda is a lifelong Bronxite, born and raised in Soundview as a second-generation Afro-Latina of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent. She is a proud product of local schools and community institutions. Growing up she attended P.S. 69X and Holy Cross School, and spent after-school hours learning to dance and summers at camp in Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. A graduate of Preston High School and St. John’s University with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics and Master of Arts in Public Administration, where her passion for community service, activism, and empowerment began. Soon after graduate school, she started her career by fighting voter suppression and mobilizing Black and Latino communities for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. Council Member FarÃas’ extensive experience includes working for the New York City Council from 2013 to 2017 in several different capacities, including Director of Special Projects, managing the Women’s Caucus and a districtwide Participatory Budgeting process. After her time in the Council, Amanda joined The Consortium for Worker Education as an Assistant Director in 2017, to manage workforce development programming in the Bronx. Amanda’s programming and partnerships with CUNY, labor unions, and local community-based organizations have allowed her to create new opportunities for young Bronxites to access trade jobs. During this time she also served as the New York State Coordinator for New American Leaders and as the Co-Founder of Women of Color for Progress. Through her work with these organizations, Amanda created a pipeline for more women to be elected to office through increased civic engagement and opportunities in electoral politics. During the height of the pandemic Amanda became active in mutual aid and feels most in her element when in community. Hosting food distributions for neighbors has been at the core of her service to continue the fight against food insecurity and The Bronx being the unhealthiest county in NYS. She was elected as the Council Member of the 18th district in 2021. Amanda currently resides in Parkchester with her dog and cat.
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