Nikki Lucas Condemns Hate,
Calls for Party Unity

Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas Condemns Hate, Calls for Greater Accountability and Unity in Brooklyn's Democratic Party

I unequivocally condemn antisemitism, racism, Islamophobia, gender bias, and all forms of hatred, discrimination and rhetoric that targets people because of who they are. There is no place for any of it in our Democratic Party, in our politics, or in the diverse communities we have been elected to serve.

Recent reports concerning newly elected District Leader Carmella Charrington, including allegations that she made antisemitic statements and promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories, are deeply troubling. A number of Democratic district leaders and other leaders have since called for her resignation. These allegations deserve to be taken seriously, just as we must speak out whenever any community is targeted by prejudice, hatred or discrimination.

But this moment also requires us to look beyond one individual and have a larger conversation about leadership in Brooklyn. District leaders are not simply votes within a political organization. We are supposed to be community leaders who understand our neighborhoods, have relationships across communities, and recognize that our words and actions can either bring people together or push them further apart.

Charrington’s candidacy was endorsed and supported by New Kings Democrats, and she also received significant support from members and supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America, along with DSA-aligned elected officials and candidates who helped elevate her campaign and increase its visibility. Political organizations have every right to support candidates who share their values, but those who help recruit, promote and elevate people into positions of leadership also have a responsibility to consider whether those candidates have demonstrated the experience, judgment and commitment to community-building that these positions require.

That responsibility should apply to every political organization and every faction within our party. Winning an election or building a larger bloc within the Democratic Party cannot be the only measure of success. We should also be asking whether the people we elevate have spent time working in the communities they seek to represent, whether they understand those communities, whether they can work with people who disagree with them, and whether they are prepared for the responsibility that comes with leadership.

This should not become another fight between factions of the Democratic Party. In fact, that is exactly the kind of politics we need to move away from. Brooklyn is home to Black, Jewish, Latino, Caribbean, Asian, Muslim, immigrant, LGBTQ+, working-class and many other communities, and our responsibility as Democratic leaders is to build bridges among those communities rather than constantly finding new reasons to divide them.

As an Assemblywoman and District Leader representing the 60th Assembly District, I believe leadership begins with the people we represent. Families throughout Brooklyn and across our city are concerned about housing, affordability, public safety, education, healthcare and opportunities for their children. Those challenges will not be solved by ideological battles or by dividing neighbors into political camps.

The Democratic Party should be a place where different perspectives can exist while we remain united around our shared responsibility to serve people. We do not have to agree on every issue, but we should expect our leaders to demonstrate mutual respect, sound judgment, an understanding of the communities they represent, and a willingness to listen to people whose experiences and perspectives may be different from their own.

This moment should be an opportunity for all of us to reconsider what we expect from political leadership in Brooklyn. We should condemn antisemitism, racism, Islamophobia, gender bias and hatred without hesitation, while recommitting ourselves to identifying and supporting leaders who have demonstrated that they can bring people together. The division within the party has become a major distraction from what's important to 

Brooklyn’s diversity should be our strength, not another source of political division. Our Democratic Party is strongest when leadership is rooted in community, when experience matters, and when bringing people together matters more than building political factions.

Source: Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas, 60th Assembly District

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