A Daughter of Harlem.
Meet Inez E. Dickens
Beginning Start in Harlem
Inez E. Dickens’ trajectory of having a life-long passion for empowering and protecting the residents of Harlem began long before she secured her NYS Assembly seat. She was born into her purpose decades ago as a daughter of Harlem. Inez is a respected, lifelong resident of the 9th Council District, the daughter of the late Harlem businessman and NYS Assemblyman Lloyd E. Dickens, and the niece of the late NYS Assemblyman and state Supreme Court Justice Thomas K. Dickens. A passion for people and community is in her blood.
Mentored by her father and steeped in her family’s legacy, Inez E. Dickens honed her leadership skills as a courageous student activist at New York University and Howard University in Washington, D.C. There, she championed the issues that mattered to her most as a student, a Black woman, a New Yorker, and a future business and civic leader.
Shattering Glass Ceilings
Inez E. Dickens became a mighty force in Harlem when she was first elected to office in 1990 as a state committeewoman and district leader. As she rose through the ranks, Inez E. Dickens was elected council member for the 9th New York City Council District in 2006, serving the communities of Central Harlem, Morningside Heights, East Harlem and parts of the Upper West Side. As a newly elected council member, she hit the ground running after she was appointed to the leadership positions of majority whip and chair of the Committee on Standards and Ethics. She broke another glass ceiling by becoming the first African American woman in the history of the New York City Council to be appointed to the higher leadership position of deputy majority leader and chair of the Subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions and Concessions.
Preserving Harlem’s Rich Legacy
In 2017, Inez E. Dickens began serving her beloved Harlem in the New York State Legislature as assemblywoman for the 70th Assembly District. In the assembly, she has been a fierce champion: investing in our institutions and infrastructure, creating and preserving affordable housing, demanding increased public safety, ensuring COVID-19 protections, fostering economic empowerment and support for small business, and advocating for equal rights for LGBTQAI+. Inez E. Dickens remains resolute in her drive to make Harlem a place where residents want to live and where visitors want to play.
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