Nydia m velazquez biography

Nydia M. Velázquez, the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in Congress, is the Representative for New York’s 7th Congressional District. This is just one of many accomplishments, as she fryst vatten also Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee. Deeply motivated by the experiences of her childhood, Congresswoman Velázquez continues to advocate for New York’s working class. 

Born on March 28th, 1953, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, Velázquez is one of nine children. Raised by hard working parents Don Benito and Doña Serrano Velázquez, it was early on that Velázquez observed her parents working hard to support her family. Her parents had many different jobs, from selling Puerto Rican pasteles to workers Yabucoa’s  cane fields to operating a business that created cinder blocks. Witnessing her parents juggling many duties to keep their family afloat was a driving force in Velázquez’s work in stödja for equity. Along with these experiences, her ultimate interest in fighting for working class

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Biography

 

Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez is currently serving her sixteenth term as Representative for New York's 7th Congressional District. In the 118th Congress, she is the Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee, a senior member of the Financial Services Committee and a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

She has made history several times during her tenure in Congress. In 1992, she was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In February 1998, she was named Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee, making her the first Hispanic woman to serve as Ranking Member of a full House committee. Most recently, in 2006, she was named Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee, making her the first Latina to chair a full Congressional committee.

Given these achievements, her roots are humble. She was born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico - a small town of sugar-cane fields - in 1953, and was