Every year City and State NY Magazine puts together Power 100 lists. This year amongst a list highlighting the movers and shakers who are shaping the county’s future including of newly elected Congressmen, The Westchester County District Attorney, Mayors of Peekskill, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Yonkers and White Plains, the County Executive and Deputy County Exec, Presidents of Westchester Colleges and Universities, the Presidents and CEOs of Regeneron, IBM, PepsiCo and WMCHealth, President of Westchester Black Women’s Caucus, and Black Westchester’s Co-Owners, Publisher Damon K. Jones (who just released his first book – The Empowering Benefits of Detoxing, Cleansing & Eating Clean) and Editor-In-Chief AJ Woodson (recipient of a journalism fellowship earlier this year) make the list for the second straight year in a row at number 93.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by City and State Magazine in the 2021 Westchester’s Power 100 list for being true to our readers and bringing news and information from a Black point of view,” Damon K Jones shared. “We will never settle our authenticity! We are true to ourselves so that we can be true to you, the reader.”
“Honored and humbled by Damon K Jones & I making the City and State NY Magazine 2021 Westchester Power 100 list for a second year and a row,” AJ Woodson shared. “Shout out to our readers, listener, subscribers and supporters who have been riding with us for seven years and counting. We will continue to give you the News With The Black Point Of View, speak truth to power and remain our authentic self, because we do it for the people! For those who have Counted us out, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Shout out to Robert Baskerville, Lorraine Lopez, Cynthia Turnquest-Jones and everyone else who contributed to our success,”
NYS Senator Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the first woman and African-American Woman to lead the NYS Senate, tops the list for a second year in a row. Followed by The County Executive George Latimer (2) State Senator Shelley Mayer – who just announced her candidacy for NYS Attorney General (3), Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano (4), First-term Reps. – Jamaal Bowman (5) and Mondaire Jones who have “carved out their distinctive approaches to progressive lawmaking in Congress” (6), and Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah moves up two slots to number 7.
Some making the first appearance on the list are Lakisha Collins-Bellamy – who unseated Mike Khader and made history as the first African-American and Woman of Color to be elected President of the Yonkers City Council (26). Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus President Subomi Macaulay (44), and Mount Vernon Comptroller-Elect Darren Morton (73).
Other noticeable names on the list include Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins (15), Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow (18), State Senators Jamaal Bailey & Alessandra Biaggi (24), Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard (32), Mayor of Peekskill Andre Rainey (34), Co-founder of Westchester Coalition for Police Reform/Civil Rights Attorney Mayo Bartlett (36), Westchester Community College President Belinda Miles (40), Mark Mclean, President of New Rochelle NAACP Branch (54), Westchester Children’s Association Executive Director, Allison Lake (58), Grace Baptist Senior Pastor Rev. W. Franklyn Richardson (62), and Yonkers Power Couple – Tai Johnson, Special Advisor to NYAG Tish James (78) and County Legislator Christopher Johnson (79), Community Voices Heard Executive Director Juanita Lewis (88), Janice Griffith, President of White Plains/Greenburgh NAACP Branch (90), and Yonkers Sanctuary Movement Co-Founder Diana Sánchez (99). To see the entire list, click here.
