Howie Hawkins & GP NY Statewide Candidates Press Conference
Howie Hawkins, Green Party candidate for Governor of NY speaking at a June 6th press conference in front of Eleanor Roosevelt Monument, Riverside Park, NYC, announcing Hawkins’ candidacy and the Green Party candidacies of Gloria Mattera, Colia Clark, Cecile Lawrence, and Julia Willebrand.
The candidates spoke about opposition to war, support for immigrants, and the need for a Green New Deal to respond to the economic depression, the growing attacks on workers, and the climate, energy, and environmental crises. The Greens will also highlight their opposition to hydrofracking of natural gas deposits.
Gloria Mattera, Lt. Governor Video
Gloria Mattera, long-time peace activist from Brooklyn, was nominated for Lt. Governor. Mattera, who has run for Brooklyn Borough President and City Council, is a health care worker active in the single payer Medicare for All movement.
Colia Clark, US Senate Video
Colia Clark, the candidate challenging incubent Charles Schumer, is a veteran of the civil rights movement presently active in Haiti relief work and support for their right to self-determination. Her work has included activism in the fields of women’s rights and workers’ rights, as well as activism and advocacy for homeless people and youth.
Clark was a Special Assistant to Medgar W. Evers in the NAACP, and later joined the Mississippi Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). In the 1990s Clark was a professor at the University of Albany as well as Director of the Social Justice Center.
Cecile Lawrence, US Senate Video
Dr. Cecile Lawrence, a Jamaica born activist with a Ph.D. and law degree, will be challenging Sen. Gillibrand. Lawrence is active in the movements for health care reform, organic agriculture, renewable energy, and a ban on hydrofracking.
A resident of Tioga County, she’s been a board member of local civic organizations such as the YWCA and the Southern Tier Independence Center, and is currently a member of Tioga Peace and Justice.
Julia Willebrand, Comptroller Video
Julia Willebrand of Manhattan is the Green candidate for state Comptroller for which she received nearly 120,000 votes in 2006. With a doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, she was a UFT delegate when a teacher at PS 84 and is active in the Sierra Club and solid waste issues.
