Aber Kawas for State Assembly

I’m a community organizer and democratic socialist running to represent parts of Astoria, Jackson Heights, Woodside, East Elmhurst, and Corona. 

I’m the daughter of Palestinian refugees, born and raised in a working class family in New York City. When I was young, my father was detained by ICE and deported from the U.S. by the same cruel immigration system that is harming the people of Queens today. While he was in detention, my family struggled to make ends meet. These experiences shaped how I see the world, and made me the organizer I am today — determined to build power for poor and working people, so that everyone can live a life with equal dignity.

For more than 15 years, I have been at the front lines of the fight for working class New Yorkers — from the Fight for 15 to raise the minimum wage, to countering police surveillance and harassment, and organizing for immigration reform. I helped to develop and launch the Not On Our Dime Campaign alongside mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to stop NY-based organizations from exploiting their non-profit status to fund Israel’s human rights violations against Palestinians.

Coming from a community that has long been disillusioned by politics, I’m running for office to challenge the status quo. Right now, the federal government is hollowing out funding for our social safety net, ramping up their attacks on immigrants, and continuing to fund Israel’s genocide in Gaza with our tax dollars — all while New Yorkers struggle to make ends meet during a historic affordability crisis. 

As Assemblymember, I will continue to organize and build power in Queens and Albany — so that together, we can fight for a just, equitable future for all of us.