Cathy Rojas (born October 1991) is a Colombian-American educator and political activist who was the

Party for Socialism and Liberation The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) is a communist party in the United States, established in 2004. Its members are active in a wide range of movements including the labor, anti-war, immigrants' rights, women's rights, and anti-police ...

's candidate for

mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public proper ...

in the 2021 election. A public school teacher by trade, Rojas received around 2.5% of the vote in the mayoral election, placing third.

Early life

Rojas was born in the early 1990s to two Colombian immigrants in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long Is ...

. She speaks

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

. Her father was an auto body painter, and her mother a housekeeper. She experienced racism from a young age, and in public school was made aware of the fact that students were expelled or arrested instead of being offered the mental health services. Rojas became a socialist after reading ''

The Autobiography of Malcolm X ''The Autobiography of Malcolm X'' was published in 1965, the result of a collaboration between civil and human rights activist Malcolm X and journalist Alex Haley. Haley coauthored the autobiography based on a series of in-depth interviews he ...

'' in high school. She worked as a hostess, a waitress, a bartender, and a cook before becoming a teacher.

Mayoral campaign

Rojas launched her mayoral campaign on June 28, 2021, in front of the First Spanish United Methodist Church in

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

, a church known for its occupation by the

Young Lords The Young Lords, also known as the Young Lords Organization (YLO) or Young Lords Party (YLP), was a Chicago-based street gang that became a civil and human rights organization. The group aims to fight for neighborhood empowerment and self-det ...

in 1969. She ran on a hard leftist and socialist platform. Rojas did not qualify for the mayoral debates due to her poor fundraising numbers, and led a protest where the debate was held. Rojas was endorsed by

Julia Salazar Julia Salazar (born December 30, 1990) is an American politician and activist. She is the New York State Senator for the 18th district, which covers much of northern Brooklyn, centered on Bushwick. She won the seat as a first-time candidate aft ...

, a

New York state senator The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan comp ...

, former City Council candidates Moumita Ahmed and Carolyn Tran, and

Kristin Richardson Jordan Kristin Richardson Jordan (born 1987) is an American politician who is the Councilmember for New York City's 9th City Council district. Jordan identifies as a democratic socialist and police abolitionist. In her 2021 race for the New York City C ...

, an activist and council member. Rojas received 27,982 votes, or 2.49% in the election, which was easily won by Democrat

Eric Adams Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and retired police captain serving as the 110th mayor of New York City since January 1, 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York ...

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rojas, Cathy Candidates in the 2021 United States elections Educators from New York City Party for Socialism and Liberation politicians Living people 21st-century American educators 21st-century American women educators American people of Colombian descent 1991 births