Brooklyn Borough President Candidate Khari Edwards pays tribute in poem, at Memorial Day 2025 Ceremony by the Brooklyn Canarsie Lions, flanked by Meeting Member Jamie Williams, to his instant proper.
Picture by Nelson A. King
Khari Edwards, the son of Trinidadian and Guyanese immigrants, is operating for Brooklyn Borough President as a result of his life’s work has been devoted to advancing fairness, inclusion, and neighborhood engagement in each nook of the borough.
“Because the son of Caribbean immigrants raised in Crown Heights, I witnessed firsthand what number of Brooklyn neighborhoods have been uncared for and underserved, and I perceive that significant progress calls for management that’s accessible, accountable, and actually listens to the folks,” Edwards, a former vice chairman of exterior affairs at Brookdale College Hospital and Medical Middle in Brooklyn, instructed Caribbean Life completely over the weekend.
“Over the previous 25 years, I’ve centered on delivering actual options — increasing healthcare for greater than one million residents, championing restorative justice, and launching initiatives like ‘It Begins Right here’ to empower our youth,” he added. “I consider Brooklyn deserves a pacesetter dedicated to closing financial and well being gaps, investing in safer faculties and inexpensive housing, celebrating our range, and ensuring each voice is heard.
“My mission is to carry Brooklyn collectively, leveraging the facility of Borough Corridor to construct a extra simply, sustainable and vibrant future for all who name this borough dwelling,” continued Edwards, stating that he’s in a robust place to unseat incumbent Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, the son of Dominican Republic immigrants, due to his (Edwards) “deep roots” in Brooklyn, his many years of public service, and the broad coalition of help that he has constructed throughout the borough.
As a lifelong Brooklyn resident and the son of immigrants, Edwards mentioned he understands the distinctive challenges and aspirations of the communities.
“My 25 years of expertise — increasing healthcare entry for over 1.3 million residents, main restorative justice initiatives, and founding applications like ‘It Begins Right here’ — show my dedication to fairness and actual options that instantly influence folks’s lives,” he mentioned, including that his marketing campaign is “resonating” as a result of his deal with uniting all neighborhoods, from Brownsville to Park Slope, and guaranteeing that “everybody feels heard and invested in.”
Edwards mentioned he has “prioritized proactive management and has a confirmed report of bringing collectively various communities, non-profits, and metropolis businesses to handle disparities and drive progress.”
Financially, he mentioned his marketing campaign is “aggressive, with robust fundraising and grassroots help mirrored within the variety of contributors (1,182 distinctive to date) and the breadth of donations coming from throughout Brooklyn.”
Edwards mentioned he’s “proud” to have earned recognition and endorsements from neighborhood leaders and organizations who consider in his imaginative and prescient for “a extra inclusive, equitable and thriving borough.”
Finally, Edwards mentioned his probabilities relaxation on persevering with to have interaction with voters, listening to their issues, and demonstrating his “expertise, integrity, and keenness to steer Brooklyn ahead.
“I’m assured that my lifelong dedication to service and my holistic strategy to the borough’s challenges place me nicely to earn the belief and votes of Brooklynites on this race,” he affirmed.
Edwards mentioned he has devoted his profession to addressing racial, well being, and civic disparities.
He heads company accountability at Ayr Wellness and leads initiatives centered on fairness, entry, and alternative for communities impacted by systemic injustice.
Edwards mentioned he launched the “Altering Legacies” program, “which has efficiently expunged tons of of nonviolent felony data—providing people second probabilities and advancing reformative justice.”
As the previous vice chairman of exterior affairs at Brookdale Hospital, Edwards mentioned he was “a fearless advocate through the COVID-19 disaster.”
He mentioned he invited nationwide media to highlight the hospital’s challenges and led equitable vaccine distribution efforts in Central Brooklyn.
Edwards mentioned he additionally created the “It Begins Right here” program, connecting over 2,200 college students with victims of gun violence to foster therapeutic and dialogue.
He’s additionally the Brooklyn Neighborhood Connector for Make-A-Want Metro New York, serving to to grant life-changing needs for youngsters with important sicknesses.
Edwards is a revered voice on well being fairness and social justice and is recurrently invited to talk on panels and boards.
A proud New York Metropolis public faculty graduate, he earned his diploma from Thomas Edison State College and lives in Crown Heights along with his spouse, Jahmila, and their three youngsters — Ethan, Niah, and Myles.
Now a candidate for Brooklyn Borough President, Edwards confused that he’s “dedicated to constructing a extra simply, wholesome, and united Brooklyn.”
He mentioned his marketing campaign is rooted in the pillars of “fairness, inclusion, and engagement,” specializing in “enhancing healthcare entry, selling public security, and increasing financial alternative for all.”
