Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), joined by his predecessor, former Representative Charles B. Rangel, City College (CCNY) President Vincent Boudreau
and Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez of the City University of New York (CUNY) released the following statement in support of CUNY’s $400,000.00 investment in a new transportation and infrastructure training program at CCNY.
The investment in the new initiative follows ongoing efforts to improve equity, representation, and access to jobs in the transportation, infrastructure, and construction sectors for residents of Harlem, Inwood, Upper Manhattan, and the Northwest Bronx.
“For generations, the communities of Northern Manhattan and the Bronx have been largely left out of the lucrative economic benefits of major infrastructure projects,”
“For generations, the communities of Northern Manhattan and the Bronx have been largely left out of the lucrative economic benefits of major infrastructure projects,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat. “Knowing this, and in expectation of forthcoming megaprojects like the Second Avenue Subway extension into East Harlem, Congressman Rangel and I endeavored to bring a minority-focused, affordable transportation and infrastructure training institute to CCNY with the aim of equipping the local community with the means to attain highly-technical, stable, union jobs, and finally capitalize on the cascading benefits of infrastructure investment.
“This initial funding, and Chancellor Matos Rodriguez and President Boudreau’s buy-in to this initiative, speaks volumes to both their leadership and the degree of local inequity in these projects to-date. As we build off the inaugural funding for this groundbreaking institute, we will continue to work with partners in the public and private sector to ensure that every stakeholder is utilizing transportation and infrastructure projects to empower local talent and elevating New Yorkers’ economic standing,” he concluded.
“It is my hope that this initiative would have an impact on the nation as often referred to the Manhattan Project. If America does not meet the technological challenges of today and in the future, we will face challenges not only to our economy but to our national security as well. I hope that this initiative will be a magnet that would allow us to provide the leadership to meet the dramatic needs that we face,” said former Congressman Charles B. Rangel.
“As I have said before, New York City’s economic recovery runs through CUNY, and this new infrastructure training institute, which aims to create important job opportunities in the transportation and construction sectors in Upper Manhattan and Bronx neighborhoods, where many of our students come from, is evidence of that fact,”
“As I have said before, New York City’s economic recovery runs through CUNY, and this new infrastructure training institute, which aims to create important job opportunities in the transportation and construction sectors in Upper Manhattan and Bronx neighborhoods, where many of our students come from, is evidence of that fact,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez.
“CUNY is thankful for the leadership of Rep. Adriano Espaillat — a CUNY alumnus — and former Rep. Charles Rangel on this project. We’re proud to partner with these valued public officials on the creation of this institute at the City College of New York, CUNY’s oldest institution. City College, under the leadership of President Boudreau, has contributed billions of dollars to the economy of our metropolitan region; this innovative program promises to add to that impact.”
“From the moment Congressman Rangel joined our campus community as a statesmen-in-residence, he talked about an educational program designed to meet the vast needs of America’s crumbling infrastructure in a way that provided training and career pathways to residents of historically underserved communities,”
“From the moment Congressman Rangel joined our campus community as a statesmen-in-residence, he talked about an educational program designed to meet the vast needs of America’s crumbling infrastructure in a way that provided training and career pathways to residents of historically underserved communities,” said CCNY President Vincent Boudreau.
“With Congressman Espaillat’s advocacy and support, and CUNY’s $400,000.00 investment in this project, we have taken decisive first steps towards realizing this dream,” he concluded.
First elected to Congress in 2016, Rep. Adriano Espaillat is serving his second term in Congress where he serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the House Small Business Committee. He serves as a Senior Whip of the House Democratic Caucus and is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) where he also serves in a leadership role as CHC Whip.
He is also chairman of the CHC Task Force for Transportation, Infrastructure, and Housing. Rep. Espaillat’s Congressional District includes Harlem, East Harlem, northern Manhattan, and the north-west Bronx. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.
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