NYC President of the Black Women’s Political Club Jamila Pringle-Fynes

The New York City Black Women’s Political Club is a relatively new organization that advances various socio-economic and political positions of Black women and other disenfranchised groups. At the helm of this organization is President Jamila Pringle-Fynes, 34, who has made it her mission to serve her community.

“For me a big thing is I don’t like when people make themselves bigger than the work,” said Pringle-Fynes.

A Brooklyn native, Pringle-Fynes is a descendant from down South and has a Caribbean background as well. She was raised in Bed Stuy. Her interest in community services was sparked after her first internship at U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke’s office in 2011. She was still in college at the time, considering a career in journalism.

“It just felt really good to help support with phone calls with constituents and hear a lot of ways the internal office was addressing different issues. And I was just like, I like this,” said Pringle-Fynes.

She went on to briefly work for a public relations firm and then a marketing firm. Eventually, she made the move to working for the State Assembly communications department and then finally the Mayor’s Community Affairs unit under former Mayor Bill de Blasio. 

Pringle-Fynes credits Queens Councilmember Nantasha Williams with the original idea for the organization because she recognized a gap in representation.

“We have so many differences and things that we might think differently about but we don’t have anything that really brings us together at a table to support one another and inform one another,” said Pringle-Fynes. “That’s the gap we try to fill.”

The political club is deeply involved in civic engagement and showing everyday people how politics affects their lives, such as the census count, voting line redistricting, city budget allocations, and local elections. Pringle-Fynes said that the club also focuses on hearing more than one narrow perspective, holding local and national discussions on controversial topics. They hold talks about issues like developing the new cannabis industry in New York State or abortion rights. 

“You don’t necessarily have to be working for an elected or in government to be making shifts that can impact us on a larger scale,” said Pringle-Fynes. “We try to make sure people are informed in a real tangible way.”
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for The Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https://bit.ly/amnews1