Cherish Patton signals a generational shift in Harlem politics
The 19 year-old Harlem native is running for a seat currently held by longtime career politician Inez Dickens
A year ago, Cherish Patton was sure she’d never run for office. Then, a friend encouraged her to run. That friend was now-Councilmember-elect Kristen Richardson Jordan, who recently beat out Councilmember Bill Perkins in an upset victory to represent New York City’s City Council District 9 (which includes Harlem).
“Am I even legal to run?” she initially wondered.
In New York City, candidates for New York State Assembly must be at least 18 years old. She is 19.
Nevertheless, Patton is confident in her ability to showcase her qualifications and her drive to represent the neighborhood she grew up in, not letting her age hinder her goals.
A third-generation Harlemite, Cherish Patton briefly lived in Sugar Hill before moving to Central Harlem. Her parents and grandparents are also from the neighborhood, with her grandmother moving to Harlem when she was 14. She is now 102.
Growing up in local schools, such as the former St. Aloysius School, Harlem’s Success Academies, and the Talented and Gifted School for Young Scholars in East Harlem, Patton graduated early from Repertory Company High School for Theater Arts and is enrolled at Spelman College in Georgia. For many years, she also attended Harlem School of the Arts (HSA).
Her involvement in the community and advocacy, she says, is very important to her and has inspired the work she does.
On top of contributing to fundraising and outreach work at HSA, she has received media coverage from outlets such as The New York Times and Spectrum New York 1 for her involvement in several of New York’s Black Lives Matter protests last year.
Patton sees a seat in the New York State Assembly as a way to continue some of that work, along with her other ideas for Harlem.
Among other things, the young advocate wants to improve elder care services, reduce food waste and feed community members in need by utilizing non-soiled supermarket food that would otherwise be thrown out, expand mental health and rehabilitation resources for substance addicts, civilians who’ve recently been released from prison, and affected demographics, as well as revitalize arts programs.
Most of all, however, Cherish Patton just wants Harlem to feel like a community again. In that state, she feels, the people of Harlem are best heard and most visible.
“Once the people start to feel like a community again, when we ask for things, you will pay attention. Not just three people, but an entire community,” she said.
“As the representative,” she added, “When you have a community behind you saying their demands alongside with me, [we’re] much stronger.”
And for many in Harlem, strength (both politically and economically) is needed now more than ever.
For decades, the historic neighborhood has suffered from neglect from the City, contributing to oftentimes decrepit living conditions, unsupported small businesses, and waves of rampant social issues, such as drug abuse, violent crime, and widespread poverty.
Today, while conditions have drastically improved in many respects, longtime residents question the motive and consequence of such a drastic improvement on part of the City and tenured neighborhood leaders, noting the rapid and far-reaching effects of gentrification.
Lower-income residents, oftentimes residents of color, have found it difficult to keep up politically, economically, and culturally with what seems to be an overnight transition from a neglected, but culturally-vibrant and close-knit community to one that is unrecognizable and tailored to wealthier New Yorkers who want a “bargain” for a four-story 19th century townhouse or new three-bedroom condo. Essentially, the Upper West Side for half the price.
Following decades of neglect, some Harlem residents feel distant to politics and don’t believe they carry any political “strength” to change their community because politics seems like an unbeatable fortress that doesn’t move for the little guy. For young people, politics can seem out of reach, particularly because they don’t often see themselves in our nation’s political scene, let alone New York’s highly-competitive political world.
For this reason, Cherish Patton’s decision to run for New York State Assembly at just 19 years-old represents a generational shift in both Harlem and New York politics. If elected in 2022, she would be the youngest member to ever serve in the New York State Assembly.
As of today, the three youngest politicians to serve in the State Assembly were all 23 years-old: Theodore Roosevelt, who won in Manhattan in 1881 before becoming the 26th President of the United States in 1901, Richard Gottfried also in Manhattan in 1970, and incumbent Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. in the Bronx in 1996.
Though New York has seen a rising popularity for younger political figures, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Chi Osse, Harlem has yet to have a younger leader represent the neighborhood.
Understandably, some may question or even “disqualify” a candidate they feel is too young, given that Harlem has become used to seasoned career politicians. And sure, for a college student seeking political office in Harlem, being compared to powerful names like Charlie Rangel, Adriano Espaillat, and Inez Dickens (whose seat Patton is running for) has the potential to be a difficult hill to climb towards legitimacy and gaining sufficient support.
But, that doesn’t phase her.
“Everyone that has run Harlem has run it smack into the ground and into their own pockets,” Patton asserted.
Of course, she understands her age will raise concern, but to her, “if [older] adults [were to properly] run Harlem, it would’ve been done by now.”
Additionally, she feels that in a broad sense, politicians are too often thought of as celebrities and some let it get to their heads. In contrast, she wants to be on the ground and in the community, similar to the work she does at present.
“It’s not about my age, it’s about what I’m doing,” she said.
“And if I’m not capable of doing this, show me someone who is.”
