Claudia De la Cruz

Claudia De la Cruz
De la Cruz in 2024
Personal details
Born1980/1981 (age 42–43)
New York City, New York, U.S
Political partyParty for Socialism and Liberation
EducationJohn Jay College of Criminal Justice (BS)
Columbia University (MSW)
Union Theological Seminary (MDiv)

Claudia De la Cruz (born 1980/1981)[1] is a far-left[2] American community organizer and activist. She was the Party for Socialism and Liberation nominee for President of the United States in the 2024 election.[3]

Early life and education

De la Cruz was born in the South Bronx to immigrants from the Dominican Republic.[1][3][4] She attended Theodore Roosevelt High School, graduating in 1997.[1] A visit to Cuba at the age of 17 inspired her opposition to imperialism.[5]

In 2001, De la Cruz earned a bachelor's degree in forensic psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.[1] In 2007, she earned a master's degree in social work from Columbia University, and a master's degree in divinity from Union Theological Seminary.[1]

Career and activism

At the City University of New York, De la Cruz coordinated a teen group to study resistance movements and march against the 2003 Iraq War.[1][5] In 2004, she founded Da Urban Butterflies (DUB), a Washington Heights-based leadership group for teens and young women of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent. The "Butterflies" name honored the three Dominican Mirabal sisters who were killed in November 1960 for opposing the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo.[1]

De la Cruz attended and later served as pastor of Santo Romero de Las Américas church, a UCC congregation in New York City.[1][6] She saw that church as important to her "social and political formation"; she "wanted to do community organizing from a faith-based perspective".[1]

De la Cruz served as co-executive director of The People's Forum, an activist organization in New York City which she co-founded.[4][5][7][8] With the People's Forum, she has participated in numerous pro-Palestinian protests, including a "Shut Down Wall Street" event during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[3][7][9][10]

2024 presidential campaign

Red Block Letter logo that says Claudia 24 Karina
Logo for the 2024 presidential campaign for the Party for Socialism and Liberation
Main article: Claudia De la Cruz 2024 presidential campaign

De la Cruz announced her presidential campaign on September 7, 2023. She and running mate Karina Garcia are the presidential ticket for the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), a Marxist–Leninist party, in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.[3][5] Their socialist policy program includes a pledge to support reparations for Black Americans, institute a single-payer healthcare system, end all U.S. aid to Israel, forgive all student loan debt, fully recognize Native American sovereignty and honor treaty rights, cut the U.S. military budget by 90%, seize the 100 largest corporations, expand public transportation, and use taxation to eliminate billionaires.[11]

On January 28, 2024, Claudia De la Cruz and Karina Garcia held their first in-person campaign event in Newark, New Jersey.[12] On February 29, 2024, De la Cruz participated in a presidential candidates debate hosted by the Free & Equal Elections Foundation, alongside Green Party candidates Jill Stein and Jasmine Sherman, and Libertarian Party candidates Chase Oliver and Lars Mapstead.[13][14]

In March 2024, the South Carolina Workers Party voted to place De la Cruz and Garcia on the state ballot for president and vice president.[15] In June 2024, De la Cruz gave a speech at a pro-Palestine protest that surrounded the White House.[16]

For the 2024 election, Democrats worked to keep De la Cruz and other third-party candidates such as Cornel West off of ballots,[17] while Republicans intervened to keep third-party candidates on ballots.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Richardson, Clem (December 8, 2011). "Claudia de La Cruz's outreach work helps teens and young women soar like 'Urban Butterflies'". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  2. ^ Corn, David. "As a presidential candidate, Cornel West aligns himself with far-left radicals". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  3. ^ a b c d Gabbatt, Adam (January 7, 2024). "'We are working-class women of color': the long-shot socialist run for the White House". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Sáenz, Lissette Lanuza (November 16, 2023). "Did You Know There's a Latina Running for President?". Remezcla. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Kennedy, Kaitlyn (December 3, 2023). "Claudia De la Cruz 2024: Her story, experiences, and policies". TAG24. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Statement for Mumia Abu-Jamal from San Romero de Las Américas Church". Indybay. November 9, 2008. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Greene, David; Goldmansour, Luca; Moloney, Síle (October 26, 2023). "UPDATE Around 150 Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Protest Torres' Support of Israel as Separate Pro-Israeli Rally Held in Riverdale". Norwood News. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  8. ^ Munoz, Anabel (June 10, 2022). "People's Summit spotlights voices, social justice issues excluded from Summit of the Americas". KABC-TV. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  9. ^ Das Mahapatra, Tuhin (November 24, 2023). "Many Americans are boycotting Black Friday even after Israel-Hamas ceasefire, here's why". Hindustan Times. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Roberts-Grmela, Julian; Fahy, Claire (December 8, 2023). "Pro-Palestinian Protesters Targeting Wall St. Denounce U.S. Veto of U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Kennedy, Kaitlyn (September 28, 2023). "Presidential candidate Claudia De la Cruz on reparations and her fight for a socialist third option". TAG24. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  12. ^ Claudia De la Cruz/Karina Garcia socialist presidential campaign holds kick-off event in Newark, NJ
  13. ^ "Free and Equal Elections Presidential Debate | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  14. ^ Marantz, Andrew (March 11, 2024). "Libertarians and Socialists and Jill Stein - Oh, My!". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  15. ^ KENMORE, ABRAHAM (March 22, 2024). "Candidates kept off SC ballots in '22 start new 3rd party, file to run for Legislature". The South Carolina Daily Gazette. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  16. ^ "Smoke, Palestinian Flags and Protest Chants Fill the Air as Thousands Surround White House". Daily Beast. 2024-06-08. Archived from the original on 2024-06-16. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  17. ^ Amy, Jeff (2024-08-29). "Georgia puts Cornel West, Jill Stein and Claudia De la Cruz on the state's presidential ballots". AP News. Retrieved 2024-08-30. Democrats legally challenged West, De la Cruz, Kennedy and Stein, seeking to block candidates who could siphon votes from Harris after Joe Biden won Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020...Georgia is one of several states where Democrats and allied groups have filed challenges to third-party and independent candidates. Republicans in Georgia intervened, seeking to keep all the candidates on the ballot.


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