Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has emerged as a potential frontrunner in the race to become the next governor of New Jersey.

Mayor Baraka points toward multiple achievements during his leadership of Newark, including reducing homicides in the city by 61% and returning Newark schools to local control years after the state had taken over the city’s school system. Economically, Baraka led efforts to establish the state’s first Land Bank in Newark to create more affordable homes and “investing $200 million into Black and brown businesses” to represent communities that are “economically distressed and historically underrepresented.”

In addition to those achievements, Mayor Baraka also highlights more innovative policies he has tested in Newark. In a recent interview with Blavity, Baraka said, “Cities are the labs of democracy. I look at crisis all the time as opportunity.” Baraka points toward pilot guaranteed income and guaranteed education programs he has implemented in Newark, as well as partnering with local providers to offer low-cost broadband internet for some of the city’s residents. “We have to begin to look at those things, innovative and creative things that people looked at as radical or bold now, because we are in unconventional times.”

When asked about the “radical” label being given to him by both his critics and his supporters, Baraka said, “Radical to me means getting to the root. You know, I’m a teacher. So that’s what Radicals are.” Noting that the notion of the Earth being round or the concept of airplanes were once considered “radical” ideas, Baraka said that “ultimately I just look at myself as a pragmatist… trying to solve difficult problems and knowing the right way to do it.”

How would Baraka address threats during the Trump era?

Before Trump’s election, Baraka argues, voters’ concerns focused on cost of living issues like healthcare, childcare, affordable housing, and taxes. While those concerns persist, Baraka adds that “now, people are fearful of what’s happening in the country and the threat to democracy is becoming more pronounced than anything,” alongside threats to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. As governor, Baraka would work to codify women’s rights, LGBTQ rights and immigrant rights into the New Jersey state constitution, providing extra protections as these things come under fire on the national level.

Baraka decried the immigration crackdown being conducted under Trump. “They’ve raided fish markets in Newark and rounded up people who were, in fact, citizens, right? So this has nothing to do with people being criminals. I mean getting rid of birthright citizenship has nothing to do with people being criminals.” Mayor Baraka’s office announced Tuesday morning that it was filing a lawsuit to prevent an ICE detention center being opened in Newark. “The immigrant community in New Jersey provides more than a billion dollars in state and local taxes… So it’s important for us to understand how they feed our economy and find a way to integrate them into the economy.”

What is Ras Baraka’s vision for education and representation?

Before becoming an elected official, Baraka was a teacher and school principal. On education, Baraka supports changing the way schools are funded, moving away from relying on property taxes and providing funding boosts for English language learners and children with special needs. He wants to make sure schools are “community schools” with before- and after-school programs. Baraka also wants to consolidate school districts, pointing out that there are more school districts than there are cities while acknowledging that such consolidation “might be the most difficult” to pull off given the rules within New Jersey.

When asked about the prospect of being only the fourth Black person ever elected governor in the United States, Baraka accepted the responsibility of the opportunity and the heavy scrutiny that Black politicians get, from both non-Black and Black people. And when asked about his role in hip-hop history — he played the role of the teacher leading a lesson on love throughout the landmark album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — Baraka told Blavity that he still goes to the studio regularly to “put some poetry down on beats” as part of his self-care routine.

With a competitive race for governor in full swing, Baraka will have to be intentional about carving out more studio time. The New Jersey Democratic and Republican primaries are June 10, with the general election Nov. 4.

Ras Baraka

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