The New Yorkers Redefining Politics: Juneteenth Special

In the early months of 2020, Chi Ossé was busy doing what most 20-somethings do: socializing and working. When he wasn't making a living through freelance jobs in fashion, retail and nightlife marketing, the New York native was hosting parties at popular night spots in downtown Manhattan. That changed in March of that year, as the world went into lockdown at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, on May 25, George Floyd was murdered by the police. “I was filled with anger and sadness and pain, like many Black and brown people in this country, and I took to the streets,” said Ossé, who identifies as Black, Asian and queer.

Ossé joined with other protesters to form Warriors in the Garden, an activist collective based on the principles of nonviolence, which organized and led protests in Brooklyn and across the city. The group’s objectives included decreasing the NYPD and ending qualified immunity, and reinvesting capital and resources into communities of color and lower-income communities. “I was fueled by the total strength of the movement but also very aware that previous waves of the BLM movement hadn’t secured the change we needed,” he said in 2021 in an interview with New York TV station NY1.

Meanwhile, in the Bronx, the churn of 2020 was playing out in the Democratic primaries for New York’s 15th Congressional District between two New York City councilmen, Ruben Diaz Sr. and Ritchie Torres. It was a fight that was personal for Torres, who is gay. Diaz Sr. is opposed to marriage equality and in 2019, as New York City Councilman, he controversially alleged that the body was controlled by the “homosexual community.” Torres described the experience of standing against Diaz Sr. as “terrifying for me.” But he overcame his fears — and his opponent — and won comfortably.

As the cities of the U.S. became theaters of protests against police excess and law enforcement came under rare scrutiny, Torres discovered that his sexuality would be used to target him. A police union chief used a vicious slur to describe the then-councilman in September 2020, prompting calls for the officer’s resignation.

As Ossé threw his energy into street protests, his aunt suggested he run for office. The idea was simple: He would need more than organized noise to make a statement. On June 19, 2020 — Juneteenth — Ossé, then just 22 years old, announced his bid to represent Brooklyn's 36th District on the New York City Council. "I've always been outspoken about injustice in society, especially when it comes to marginalized people," he said. “I think being a Black queer man is something that makes you political in and of itself.”

His late father, Reggie Ossé, was known to many in the music industry as hip-hop podcaster Combat Jack. A former entertainment lawyer, the elder Ossé worked his way up from a legal internship at record label giant Def Jam Records to providing legal representation for famous hip-hop stars. It was Chi Ossé’s father who taught him the importance of change, he said. Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller, endorsed his campaign. On Nov. 2, 2021, Ossé was elected to the New York City Council in a commanding victory over retired subway conductor Henry Butler. “I understand what needs to be changed in this city because I’ve experienced the systemic oppression that exists,” Ossé said.

A decade older than Ossé, Torres grew up in the Throggs Neck public housing project in the East Bronx area, in a building that suffered from frequent leaks and mold seeping through the walls. Torres was often hospitalized for asthma. He wanted to become a lawyer and participated in mock trials in junior high school, which is when he also came out as gay. In college, he battled suicidal thoughts. Then, politics drew him in. Torres served as the housing director of then-Councilman James Vacca, before being elected to the City Council himself, on which he served from 2013 to 2020.

The 117th U.S. Congress took office in January 2021, with groundbreaking demographics. Almost a quarter of the 535 members of Congress identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander or Native American, according to the Pew Research Center. Among them was Torres, a unique pathbreaker as the first openly gay Black member of Congress. “Most would have thought New York City’s first LGBTQ member of Congress would be from Chelsea or Greenwich Village or Hell’s Kitchen, but the Bronx beat them to it,” said Annise Parker, president of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which seeks to increase the number of openly gay and transgender candidates elected to public office.

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Ossé isn’t all work and no play. He loves fashion, the industry in which he worked prior to running for office, and last month attended the Met Gala in a two-piece paisley outfit accented with a bow-tied blouse from Black-owned clothing designer House of Aama. "One of the lead designers, Akua Shabaka, lived in Bed-Stuy and I wanted to literally bring my community to the red carpet," Ossé said in an interview with V magazine. The paisley outfit was part of the label’s “Bloodroot Collection,” which drew inspiration from the postbellum South.

True to his activist roots, Ossé has involved residents in decisions affecting them through a “participatory budget.” Among the projects that recently won funding are filtered water fountains, a multimedia studio and computer labs in schools. In April, Ossé also joined students, parents and teachers agitating for police-free schools (it’s unclear whether his position has changed after the Uvalde shootings.)

Torres’ other priorities include equitable housing, poverty reduction and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. But his mere presence in Congress serves as a catalyst for change, suggested Parker of the LGBTQ Victory Fund in comments provided to OZY. “For far too long, LGBTQ people and Black people have lacked equitable representation in government,” she said. “Strong pro-equality voices like his are more important than ever."

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