Jessica González-Rojas (born May 19, 1976) is an American activist, politician, and academic. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, she is the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

member for the 34th District, having been elected in 2020 after defeating incumbent Michael DenDekker in the primary. González-Rojas previously served as the executive director of the

National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice (Latina Institute) is a reproductive justice organization representing the Latina community living in the United States. Previously the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, the or ...

, an organization that advocates for access to affordable health and reproductive care for Latino and immigrant communities. González-Rojas has additionally served as an adjunct professor of Latin American Studies at the

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

's City College. González-Rojas is

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

. She is a member of the

Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization in the United States and the country's largest Socialism, socialist organization. Sitting on the Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left of the politic ...

(DSA), the largest socialist organization in the United States.

Early life and education

González-Rojas earned a bachelor's degree in international relations from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

and a Master's in Public Administration ( M.P.A.) from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. González-Rojas is of

Paraguayan Paraguayans () are the citizens of Paraguay. Though the majority of Paraguayans reside in Paraguay, significant communities have been established in multiple countries, most noticeably Argentina, Spain, United States, Brazil. History The first ...

and Puerto Rican descent.

Career

In 2019, González-Rojas announced she was running in the 2020 Democratic primary for the 34th district of the

, held by Michael DenDekker, and covering parts of

Jackson Heights Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, and today northern Astoria ( Ditm ...

, Woodside,

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus or disease responsible for the COVID-19 ...

and

East Elmhurst East Elmhurst is a residential neighborhood in the northwest section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded to the south by Jackson Heights and Corona, to the north and east by Bowery Bay, and to the west by Woodside and Ditmar ...

, all within

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. She won the June primary and the November election. She was re-elected in November 2024, running on the Democratic Party and Working Family Party lines.

New York State Assembly

González-Rojas is a member of the Committee on Children and Families, the Committee on Cities, the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, the Committee on Environmental Conservation, and the Committee on Social Services. She is also a member of the Asian Pacific American Task Force, the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus, the Legislative Women's Caucus, the Task Force on New Americans, the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, and the Task Force on Women's Issues.

Political views

González-Rojas is a member of the

(DSA). In her 2020 run, she was endorsed by

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...

. In the

2021 New York City mayoral election The 2021 New York City mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021. Incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election. On June 22, 2021, the primary elections for the Democratic Party (United States), ...

, she was the first elected official to endorse Dianne Morales, a progressive nonprofit executive. In December 2024, Gonzalez-Rojas' bill was signed into law by Governor Hochul mandating that all New York State agencies add North African and Middle-eastern categories on applications and surveys for self-identification.https://astoriapost.com/gonzalez-rojas-legislation-mena-representation-signed

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:González-Rojas, Jessica 1976 births 21st-century American women politicians Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni City College of New York faculty Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New York (state) Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Living people Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from New York (state) Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service alumni American people of Paraguayan descent 21st-century members of the New York State Legislature