Phara Souffrant Forrest

Phara Souffrant Forrest is an American politician, nurse, and tenant activist. She is the Democratic nominee for the 57st district of the New York State Assembly after defeating incumbent Walter T. Mosley in the Democratic primary.[1] Forrest is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Phara Souffrant Forrest
Personal details
Born	1988/1989 (age 31–32) Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Other political affiliations	Democratic Socialists of America
Education	SUNY Geneseo (BA) New York City College of Technology (AAS) CUNY School of Professional Studies (BS)
Occupation	politician, nurse

Early life and education

Forrest is the daughter of immigrants from Haiti.[2] In 2011, Forrest graduated from State University of New York at Geneseo with a B.A. in International Relations and Affairs.[3] Forrest later pursued a career in nursing, attending the New York City College of Technology and the CUNY School of Professional Studies to receive an A.A.S. and B.S. in Registered Nursing, respectively.

Political career

In August 2019, Forrest launched a campaign against incumbent Democrat Walter T. Mosley in the primary for the heavily Democratic 57th State Assembly district. Souffrant's campaign emphasized support for decarceration,[4] investment in public housing,[5] and state-wide single-payer healthcare.[6] During her campaign, she was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America[7] and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.[8] Forrest trailed Mosley by 588 votes on election night June 23, 2020, but absentee ballots were more significant than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once absentee ballots were counted on July 22, 2020, Forrest led Mosley by over 2,500 votes and was declared the winner.[9]

References

1. Witt, Stephen (2020-07-22). "New Day in Assembly: Gallagher Unseats Lentol, Forrest Unseats Mosley". Kings County Politics. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
2. Ramos, Tatiana Mena (2020-07-22). "This Union Nurse and Tenant Activist Is Ready to Stand Up to New York's Political Establishment". BeLatina. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
3. "Phara Souffrant Forrest | LinkedIn".
4. "Decarceration". Phara for Assembly. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
5. "Housing". Phara for Assembly. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
6. "Healthcare". Phara for Assembly. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
7. Williams, Zach (2019-10-10). "The party of gentrifiers is moving into Brooklyn". CSNY. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
8. Baig, Sara (2020-06-10). "Phara Souffrant Forrest Wants to Cancel Your Rent". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
9. Verde, Ben (2020-07-22). "BREAKING: Phara Souffrant Forrest declares victory over Walter Mosley in Crown Heights assembly race • Brooklyn Paper". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved 2020-07-22.