Topic: An Empowering Woman - Jennifer Gutierrez

She is currently the Campaign Manager for Congressional Candidate, Nydia Velazquez and she has a message about voting, education, and our rights...

Jennifer Gutierrez was born in Queens, NY to immigrants parents from Colombia. Both her parents worked in service jobs ranging from bakeries, restaurants, childcare, and housekeeping. They instilled the importance of education and participation as the path to success. With an older sister, Diana Gutierrez, both attended public schools in Queens and Manhattan. Jennifer realized early on what inequity in our school systems felt like when her and a group of friends were vehemently petitioning the school administration to allow Physics as part of the curriculum. Up until that point, the school had only offered the minimal sciences required by the state. Amongst those students advocating for more opportunities, Jennifer realized that long before their protest, their access to the kind of education they wanted for themselves, had already been determined by others.
Jennifer began working at the New York City Council in 2013 for then Council Member Diana Reyna. As the Williamsburg Organizer, Jennifer worked alongside community members and leaders demanding access and justice for housing, healthcare, education, and representation that was transparent. Shortly after, she came on board as the Campaign Manager for the City Council race for Antonio Reynoso. He was up against a 20+ year state incumbent, but with the will of the North Brooklyn Community, he was able to defeat his opponent and currently serves as the Council Member for the 34th District representing Bushwick and Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Ridgewood in Queens.
Today, Jennifer is serving as campaign manager to Congressional candidate Nydia Velazquez running for re-election this June 28th. She was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the House, was a reformer from early on, and has been coined “La Luchadora”.