25 Facts About Yvette Clarke

Yvette Diane Clarke was born on November 21,1964 and is an American politician serving as the US representative for New York's 9th congressional district since 2013.

Yvette Clarke graduated from Edward R Murrow High School and earned a scholarship to enroll at Oberlin College in Ohio, which she attended from 1982 to 1986.

Yvette Clarke initially said she thought she had earned sufficient credits to graduate from Oberlin, then later said she had completed her degree by attending courses at Medgar Evers College.

In 2011, Yvette Clarke suggested that she planned to finish her degree at Oberlin by completing independent academic projects.

Yvette Clarke worked as director of business development for the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation and was the second director of the Bronx portion of the New York City Empowerment Zone.

Yvette Clarke was elected to the 40th district of the New York City Council in 2001.

Yvette Clarke, who held the seat for more than a decade, making theirs the first mother-to-daughter succession in city council.

Yvette Clarke cosponsored City Council resolutions that opposed the war in Iraq, criticized the federal USA PATRIOT Act, and called for a national moratorium on the death penalty.

Yvette Clarke was a frequent critic of the Bush administration's policies, and opposed budget cuts by Bush and Congress on several programs addressing women's rights and poverty.

Yvette Clarke later voted against extending provisions of the Patriot Act after the election of President Barack Obama.

On September 29,2008, Yvette Clarke voted in support of HR 3997, the Emergency Economic Stability Act of 2008.

In 2010, Yvette Clarke signed two petitions urging Obama to pressure Israel to resolve the Gaza Blockade, which she later retracted.

In 2015 Yvette Clarke indicated she would vote for the JCPOA, known as the Iran nuclear deal, despite appeals from some of her Jewish constituents and local advocacy groups to vote against it.

Yvette Clarke has earned high ratings from interest groups such as NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood for her votes against legislation to place restrictions on abortion rights, including the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act of 2011, which would have prohibited federal funds from being used to cover abortions.

Yvette Clarke has supported efforts to combat climate change and limit fossil fuel consumption.

Yvette Clarke has generally opposed legislation that gives priority to economic over conservation interests, such as the Stop the War on Coal Act of 2012 and the Conservation and Economic Growth Act of 2012.

Yvette Clarke has supported legislation that increases conservation efforts and regulation of the energy industry, such as the Offshore Drilling Regulations and Other Energy Law Amendments Act of 2010.

Yvette Clarke was strongly critical of the Trump administration's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

Yvette Clarke has called for immigration reform that would create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the United States and direct resources away from enforcement.

Yvette Clarke praised the Obama administration's DACA program and condemned the Trump administration's termination of the program, calling it "cruel and vindictive".

Yvette Clarke has called for extending the Temporary Protected Status granted to Haitian immigrants seeking refuge after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and for the abolition of ICE.

The next day, Yvette Clarke was unavailable for comment, and her media representative stated the statements were meant in jest.

Yvette Clarke endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 and cast a vote for her as a superdelegate at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Yvette Clarke's run followed an unsuccessful bid by her mother in 2000 against Owens for the same seat.

Yvette Clarke faced a four-way Democratic primary against Adem Bunkeddeko, Chaim Deutsch, and former army veteran and Democratic Socialists of America member Isiah James.