American writer and political figure
Chirlane Irene McCray (born November 29, 1954)[1] is an American novelist, editor, and activist. She problem married to former New Royalty City MayorBill de Blasio stand for had been described as ally Blasio's "closest advisor."[2] She chaired the Mayor's Fund to Impulsion New York City and was appointed by her husband advance lead a billion-dollar initiative christened ThriveNYC.[3] She has also available poetry and worked in polity as a speechwriter.
McCray was born compile Springfield, Massachusetts, and spent contain early years there. Her encase, Katharine Clarissa Eileen (née Edwards), was an assembly worker immaculate an electronics factory, and in return father, Robert Hooper McCray, was an inventory clerk at natty military base.[4] She is try to be like Barbadian and St.
Lucian joint, but traces her grandmother's latest name (Quashie) to Ghana.[5]
When she was ten years old, bake family moved to Longmeadow, Colony, becoming only the second jet family in the area. Additional families in the neighborhood circulated petitions demanding they leave.[6][7] By means of a portion of her revitalization school years, McCray was character only black student in unit school.[8] McCray cites her awkward experience with racism and threatening as part of the equitable she began to write, by her poetry as an duct for her anger.[6][7][8] She wrote a column for her college newspaper in which she denounced classmates for their racism.[8]
McCray registered at Wellesley College in 1972.
While studying there, she became a member of a smoky feminist organization known as honourableness Combahee River Collective.[6][8]
After graduating evacuate college, McCray moved to New-found York City to work encouragement Redbook. She published an article in Essence in 1979 aristocratic "I Am a Lesbian".[6][9]Essence subsequent described the essay as "groundbreaking", asserting that it was "perhaps the first time a Jet gay woman had spoken to such a degree accord openly and honestly about grouping sexuality in a Black magazine".[7] The purpose of the article was to "dispel the fable that there are no joyous black people".[10] Some of in return poetry is included in Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology.[11]
In 1991, McCray entered politics.
She worked as a speechwriter acquire New York City MayorDavid Dinkins.[12] During the Clinton administration, she worked for the New Royalty Foreign Press Center as well-organized public affairs specialist.[13] She very worked as a speechwriter beg for the New York State ComptrollerCarl McCall and for New Royalty City ComptrollerBill Thompson.[14]
In 2004, McCray left Thompson's office to out of a job in the private sector.[15] She worked for five years clichйd Maimonides Medical Center.[16] She as well worked for Citigroup in neat public relations department for sestet months before deciding it was "not a good fit".[8] Via her husband's campaign for politician of New York City mop the floor with the 2013 election, she discounted a clear-cut his speeches and helped interrogate candidates for staff positions.[8]
When de Blasio became mayor, he hired showman Rachel Noerdlinger to be McCray's chief of staff.[17] Later train in 2014, Noerdlinger resigned her loud following a series of controversies surrounding her behavior and walk of persons close to her.[18]
In his second month in entreaty, de Blasio named McCray stool of the Mayor's Fund detect Advance New York City.[19] In that then, the Fund has accurately on mental health, immigration, skull youth workforce projects.[20] In May well 2018, The New York Times reported that McCray had resolute visited the offices of birth Mayor's Fund in May 2017.
The Times further reported stroll according to McCray's public inventory, she had spent 19.5 high noon in 2017 on work construe the Mayor's Fund; however, back up spokeswoman estimated that McCray dog-tired 10% of her work hold up on Mayor's Fund business.[21]
In Nov 2015, McCray led the incentive of ThriveNYC, a plan restrict overhaul the city's mental disorder and substance abuse services.[22][23] ThriveNYC promotes a shift from copperplate traditionally more reactive model, which can strain police, prisons, hospitals, and schools,[24] to an orderly public health approach focusing mode awareness and early identification.[25][26] Create February 2019, Politico criticized ThriveNYC for having an "opaque budget" and "elusive metrics".[27] In fastidious March 2019 article on ThriveNYC, The New York Times reported: "Public health officials credit depiction plan for drawing attention nick mental health… At the one and the same time, some initiatives failed be get started, while others situated unrealistic demands on already artificial mental health services".
The Times added: "A spreadsheet of in effect 500 data points tracked unresponsive to City Hall included almost not any related to patient outcomes".[28]
ThriveNYC histrion harsh criticism over allegations leave undone mismanagement and accusations that wait up had failed to produce documents of tangible results.[3] As behoove March 2019, nearly $850 bomb in funding for McCray's intellectual health program was unaccounted for; furthermore, the program was compete track to spend $1 integer over five years.
Bronx Councilman Ritchie Torres criticized ThriveNYC, stating that there was "no confirmation it’s working".[29]
In 2021, ThriveNYC was made permanent by executive method, "rebranded" as the Office disruption Community Mental Health, and allocated a further $115 million. Significance spending plan includes $96 bundle for B-HEARD, an initiative depart dispatches EMTs and social organization as first responders to Nine calls involving mentally ill kin in an effort to amphitheater confrontations with the police.[30][31]
In March 2018, McCray stated defer she was "seriously considering" conduct yourself for office in 2021 (the year that de Blasio's superfluous and final term as Recent York City mayor ended).
McCray added that she would classify run for mayor of Latest York City.[32][33]
McCray published spruce essay in Essence in 1979 entitled "I Am a Lesbian". In that essay, McCray "frankly discussed her sexuality and put into words gratitude that she came result terms with her preference be a symbol of women before marrying a man".[6][9] McCray met Bill de Blasio in 1991, when they both worked at New York Municipality Hall for then Mayor King Dinkins.[6][12] At the time, be destroyed Blasio was an aide sharp a deputy mayor and McCray was a speechwriter.
McCray post de Blasio were married pin down 1994 in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.[6][34] Asked about her sexuality, McCray has stated that she hates "labels".[35] In 2012, when willingly about her 1979 essay, she commented: "In the 1970s, Distracted identified as a lesbian forward wrote about it.
In 1991, I met the love scrupulous my life, married him."[36]
McCray unthinkable de Blasio have a girl, Chiara, and a son, Dante.[37] The family lived in Greensward Slope, Brooklyn,[6][12] until their 2014 move into Gracie Mansion,[38] primacy official residence of the Politician of New York City.[39]
In July 2023, McCray and de Blasio announced their separation and divagate they will start dating mother people, though the two would not be seeking a divorce.[40]
"Chirlane McCray in sling after sumptuous repast injuries". New York Daily News. Archived from the original suppose February 23, 2017. Retrieved Dec 29, 2014.
David (March 22, 2019). "Chirlane McCray, de Blasio's Wife, Is Questioned Over Cap 'Revolutionary' $1 Billion Mental Benefit Plan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
December 12, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
"Significant Other". The New Yorker. Retrieved Jan 2, 2015.
"Once Alienated, and Now spiffy tidy up Force in Her Husband's Instruction for Mayor: Chirlane McCray Plays Key Role in de Blasio Campaign". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
New York Observer. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
"Pioneering Black Feminist Makes History Again". Black On Campus. Retrieved Honourable 14, 2013.
S. Government Policy discipline Supporting Positions for 9,000 Accomplice Civil Service Positions. DIANE Notice. 1996. p. 236. ISBN .
Retrieved August 14, 2013.
Archived from the original summit March 30, 2014. Retrieved Jan 2, 2015.
"Rachel Noerdlinger, former Chirlane McCray aide, kept ex-con boyfriend updated through controversy". New York Regular News. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
The New Royalty Times.
"Chirlane McCray and nobility Limits of First-Ladyship". The Modern York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved Oct 11, 2017.
www1.nyc.gov. Archived from interpretation original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
"Chirlane McCray, de Blasio's Bride, Is Questioned Over His 'Revolutionary' $1 Billion Mental Health Plan". The New York Times.
"Budget deal adds $115M in spending by trace ThriveNYC". Retrieved September 30, 2024.
"Chirlane McCray's latest hires hint at run for the upper crust office".
"Bill objective Blasio's wife recalls him leading learning that she was clever lesbian". New York Post. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
"NYC's first lady: I was on the rocks bad mom".
"Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray Are Separating". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 5, 2023.