Jabari Brisport

Brisport taught math to 6th and 7th graders at Medgar Evers College Preparatory School, a public school in Crown Heights.[10][12][13] He is a member of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) union. [14]

At the age of 22, Brisport began organizing efforts in support of a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in New York.[15] The bill was defeated in 2009 but Brisport continued organizing around the issue and same-sex marriage was ultimately legalized in New York two years later.

A few years after that, Brisport got involved in the burgeoning Black Lives Matter movement and began organizing rallies and protests, as well as training protesters on what to do if stopped or harassed by the police.[16] In 2017, Brisport traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia to march in the counter-protest of a Unite the Right rally.[17]

He joined the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) shortly after the election of Donald Trump and got involved in their work on access to affordable housing. He quickly became a leader in the fight against the private development of the Bedford Union Armory in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.[18][19][20] [21]

In 2017, Brisport ran against incumbent Laurie Cumbo for the 35th New York City Council District. In a rare Green Party primary, Brisport defeated opponent Scott Hutchinson 32 votes to 4.[6] Brisport was partially inspired by Bernie Sanders to run for office.[22] He was endorsed by Sanders' Our Revolution and New York Communities for Change,[6] as well as the New York Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America in the race.[21] He lost the election, but gained 29% of the vote.[23][24][25] Brisport's run earned more independent votes in any council race since 2003.[26]

In 2019, Brisport announced a run for the New York State Senate 25th District, being vacated by Democrat Velmanette Montgomery.[27] On September 29, 2019, Brisport's run for State Senate was officially endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America.[28] His campaign did not accept any donations from the real estate industry or any for-profit corporations. Instead, it received donations from over 7,000 individuals, breaking the record for most donors to a New York State level campaign.[29][30] According to a statement from the campaign, they also had the support of over 1,000 volunteers.[31] In addition to the DSA, his campaign was endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, Cynthia Nixon, New York Communities for Change, and the Working Families Party, among other grassroots organizations.[32][33]

On election night of the Democratic primary on June 23, 2020, Brisport led the race with 52.25% of the vote against sitting Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright and former Montgomery staffer Jason Salmon. However, absentee ballots were more significant than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and on election night there were still 26,000 absentee ballots to be counted.[34] Brisport declared victory on July 23, once the absentee ballots had been counted and his lead over Wright had been extended to 10,000 votes.[35] Brisport won in the November general election, becoming the first openly LGBTQ person of color ever elected to the New York legislature.[36]

Brisport came to identify as a democratic socialist through the presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders, for which he volunteered as a canvasser and phone-banker.[37] Brisport is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).[21]

Brisport's support for affordable housing includes not only stopping the private development of the Bedford Union Armory in Crown Heights, Brooklyn,[38][39][40] but to other perennial measures, such as a vacancy tax and a pied-à-terre tax,[41] as well as housing plans that are 100% affordable, rather than a mix of market price or luxury condominiums.[24]

Brisport also supports a ban on the commercial sale of cats, dogs and rabbits, as well as on the sale and manufacture of fur clothing. He defends outlawing cruel animal farming practices and redirecting dairy subsidies into programs for dairy farmers to exit the industry.[42]