Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright (D-NY): Building Bridges in Community

A graduate of Duke University and the University of Chicago Law School, Assemblymember Wright was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 8, 2016 to represent the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Northern Crown Heights communities in Brooklyn. After practicing law for 15 years, she switched gears to become more politically involved in her community. Having served on Community Board 3 for 14 years and becoming board chairperson, she wished to serve her community in a greater capacity than ever before, and she did so by running for City Council. Though her run was unsuccessful, it prepared Assemblymember Wright for the next election by beginning to forge the connections and establish the network she would need to be a successful candidate and, ultimately, a successful elected official.

Assemblymember Wright consistently advocates for the well-being and interests of her constituents through her legislative efforts, political initiatives, and personal endeavors. From owning and operating a neighborhood coffee shop to prohibiting workplace discrimination through passage of the Crown Act, Assemblymember Wright is a broker of positive change for her community and the state of NY. She sits on numerous committees that investigate and propose resolutions pertaining to issues like foster care, criminal justice reform, transportation, and Women’s Issues.

My interest in interviewing Assemblymember Wright was piqued when I saw that she began her commitment to service as an attorney, which has always been an aspiration of mine. But, upon further research, I learned that she was not only a government official and an attorney, but also an entrepreneur and small business owner. Having this background, Assemblymember Wright’s perspective is one that is needed in politics, as she is able to uniquely represent the diverse interests of her constituents in ways her colleagues might not be able to. Most importantly, as a Black woman, she understands. I wanted to hear this perspective, which is why I chose to feature her for my project.

My conversation with Assemblymember Wright was as inspiring as it was stimulating. She gave sound, candid advice to listeners based on her own path to leadership and the lessons she learned along the way. The importance of one’s personal image and executive presence, preparation, taking initiative, and knowing how to disagree with colleagues “without being disagreeable” are all salient tokens of insight she shared.

Unfortunately, there were some issues with audio on Assemblymember Wright’s end. I tried to smooth over some of these during the editing process as best I could, but was not able to fix it entirely – you will hear a high-pitched noise in the background at some moments. The music in the podcast was provided by Freeplay Music under an Education license for classroom use only and are cited below.

Intro music: “Can Do” by Phil Garrod, Reed Hays, and Scott P. Schreer

Outro music: “California Sun 60” by Todd Haberman, John Loeffler, and Scott P. Schreer

Bibliography

“Biography.” New York State Assembly. https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Tremaine-Wright/bio/.

“Committee Membership.” New York State Assembly. https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Tremaine-Wright/comm/.

“Dove and the Crown Coalition Land a Second Major Victory in the Push to End Hair Discrimination with the Enactment of the Crown Act in the State of New York.” The Crown Act, 12 July 2019, https://www.thecrownact.com/new-york. Accessed 7 Dec 2020.

“Media.” New York State Assembly. https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Tremaine-Wright/media/.

“Sponsored Legislation.” New York State Assembly. https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Tremaine-Wright/sponsor/.

Yoshino, Kenji. Covering: The Hidden Assault On Our Civil Rights. Penguin Random House, 2006.