Amanda Farias
18th Council District - Bronx
Amanda Farías is a lifelong Bronxite with a passion and commitment to public service. Born and raised in the 18th Council District’s Soundview neighborhood, Amanda is a second-generation Afro-Latina of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent. Growing up in the Bronx, she is a product of local schools. Amanda developed a love for her community and a passion for basketball, seen on the court of local playgrounds across the district. Soon after graduating from St. John’s University with a Master’s Degree in Political Science, Amanda’s career began by fighting voter suppression and mobilizing Black and Latino communities for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. She then went on to work in the New York City Council for five years, serving as Director of Special Projects. While working in City Hall, Amanda took on a larger role as a community activist and realized her community needed new leadership. Amanda then decided to run for New York City Council in 2017.
Amanda ran as the youngest person, and the only woman, in a five-way race; she came in as the runner-up in her Democratic Primary for City Council District 18. After the election, Amanda remained committed to fighting for progressive leadership. In the Summer of 2018, she ran to be her District’s State Committeewoman. Winning by 86 votes, Amanda defeated a 21-year incumbent and became the elected State Committeewoman of the 87th Assembly District. She has continued to advocate for New York to be genuinely progressive and was committed to investing in uplifting other women and running again for the 18th City Council seat. As New York State Coordinator for New American Leaders and as the Co-Founder of Women of Color for Progress, Amanda has committed to getting more women into elected office by creating a pipeline for them through her work with these organizations.
Amanda understands that a crucial role of new leadership is investing in local coalition-building, which develops healthier communities. Amanda has invested in ensuring that we adequately connect our communities to resources through her political work and local advocacy. She joined The Consortium for Worker Education (CWE) as an Assistant Director in 2017 to manage workforce development programming in the Bronx. Amanda's programming and partnerships with CUNY and local community-based organizations have allowed her to serve and create new opportunities for young Bronxites to access trade jobs. With CWE, Amanda is expanding economic mobility through a pathway into the labor movement and opportunities that lead to careers in her home borough of The Bronx.