Canon John welcomes JoAnne Simon, Assemblymember for New York State District 52, which includes St. Ann’s Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. First elected in 2013, Ms. Simon describes her evolution in politics that began with advocacy with the deaf to a disability rights legal practice, and from there to local community leadership. Both before and after she became a member of the NY State Assembly, Simon joined forces with and deferred to indigenous leaders to engage community priorities. Simon attributes her success enacting equitable land use and environmental policy to perfecting the art of compromise, but asserts that the only response to entrenched power and systems of oppression to ensure justice for all is sustained resistance.
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