Affordable Housing

In Lower Manhattan and across this district, housing isn’t just expensive — it’s disappearing. Longtime residents are being pushed out, families can’t find space to stay, and too many New Yorkers are one rent increase away from losing their homes altogether.

This issue is personal for me. I grew up in Southbridge Towers when it was part of the Mitchell-Lama program — a model that gave working families like mine stability and a path to opportunity. I know firsthand what affordable housing makes possible, and what we stand to lose when it disappears.

Housing policy should be about stability, dignity, and opportunity — not displacement. That means not only building new affordable housing, but protecting the communities that already call this district home — including NYCHA residents, co-op owners, loft tenants, and long-time residents in places like Chelsea Houses and Fulton Houses.

We need leadership that understands both how to build housing and how to protect the people who already live here — across every type of housing in our district.

East Coast Resiliency

Mariama believes resiliency starts with showing up — before, during, and after a crisis. She was on the ground during Superstorm Sandy, helping make sure neighbors had access to critical supplies, electricity, and up-to-date information, and personally checking in on residents to ensure no one was left behind. That experience shaped her commitment to building communities that are prepared, protected, and supported in moments of need.

But resiliency isn’t just about emergency response — it’s about long-term investment and equity. For too long, the East Side has not received the same level of flood protection and climate infrastructure as other parts of the city. In office, Mariama will fight to ensure the East Side has access to the same high-quality protections — from comprehensive flood mitigation projects to modern infrastructure improvements — that safeguard the East Side.

Climate change is not a future threat; it’s a present reality. Mariama is committed to delivering real, durable solutions that protect homes, small businesses, public housing residents, and critical community institutions — so every neighborhood is resilient, secure, and prepared for what lies ahead.

Combatting Hate & Protecting Faith Communities

Our community is strongest when everyone feels safe practicing their faith and participating fully in public life. In the last year, we’ve seen troubling rises in antisemitism, anti-Asian hate, and attacks on our immigrant communities. No one should face harassment, intimidation, or violence because of who they are, what they believe, or where they live or worship.

Mariama is committed to standing with faith communities and immigrant communities across our district. As Assemblymember, she will work alongside community leaders, organizations, and law enforcement to advance policies and ensure strong safety protections for all New Yorkers, while promoting respect, protecting religious freedom, and ensuring our neighborhoods remain welcoming and safe for everyone. This includes places of worship and cultural institutions so people can safely enter and exit synagogues, temples, churches, mosques, and community centers without fear of harassment or violence. 

Combatting Hate & Protecting Faith Communities

Our community is strongest when everyone feels safe practicing their faith and participating fully in public life. In the last year, we’ve seen troubling rises in antisemitism, anti-Asian hate, and attacks on our immigrant communities. No one should face harassment, intimidation, or violence because of who they are, what they believe, or where they live or worship.

Mariama is committed to standing with faith communities and immigrant communities across our district. As Assemblymember, she will work alongside community leaders, organizations, and law enforcement to advance policies and ensure strong safety protections for all New Yorkers, while promoting respect, protecting religious freedom, and ensuring our neighborhoods remain welcoming and safe for everyone. This includes places of worship and cultural institutions so people can safely enter and exit synagogues, temples, churches, mosques, and community centers without fear of harassment or violence.