Robert Jackson (New York politician)

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Robert Jackson (born December 18, 1950) is an American Democratic politician from New York. He has represented the 31st district in the New York State Senate since 2019. Before that, he served on the New York City Council for the 7th district from 2002 to 2013, and he is the first Muslim to sit in the New York State Senate.

Early life and career
Jackson was born in Harlem and grew up in Manhattan and the Bronx. He attended public schools in Washington Heights and The Bronx and earned a BA from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1975. He worked for the New York State Department of Labor and the Public Employees Federation. In 1986, he was elected to New York City Community School Board 6 and served as its president in 1992.

Campaign for Fiscal Equity
Jackson helped lead the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, a lawsuit arguing that New York State underfunded public schools in New York City. The Court of Appeals ruled in 2003 in favor of the plaintiffs and ordered changes to funding, which led to the Foundation Aid formula in 2007. Funding later faced freezes during 2009–2012 because of the fiscal crisis, a point Jackson publicly protested.

New York City Council
He was elected to the New York City Council in 2001, representing Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood. He served three terms and chaired the Education Committee, also co-chairing the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus. He was the only Muslim member on the council during his tenure and left office in 2013 due to term limits. In 2013 he ran in the Democratic primary for Manhattan Borough President but finished third, behind Gale Brewer and Jessica Lappin.

State Senate campaigns
Jackson ran for the New York State Senate in District 31 in 2014 but lost to Adriano Espaillat. He ran again in 2016 and finished third in a three-way race. In 2018 he won the Democratic primary for State Senate District 31, defeating incumbent Marisol Alcantara, and then won the general election, becoming the first Muslim to serve in the New York State Senate. He took office on January 1, 2019, and serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Cities.

Controversies and positions
In February 2022, Jackson faced criticism for posing with a sign at a rally that compared climate change to the September 11 attacks. He apologized, saying the artwork was wrong and he rejected it.

Personal life
Jackson is married to Faika Jackson, and they have three daughters. They live in Washington Heights, New York.