Chirlane McCray Biography
Chirlane McCray born Chirlane Irene McCray is an American author, editor, communications professional, and the current First Lady of New York City. In regards to publications, she has published poetry and worked in politics as a speechwriter. She is the spouse to current New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, making her the First Lady of New York City. McCray chairs the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and has been refereed to as Bill’s closest advisor. Additionally, she runs a mental health initiative reffered to as ThriveNYC.
McCray and de Blasio have two children, Chiara and Dante.
Age| Birthday| How Old is Chirlane McCray?
The author was born on November 29, 1954 in Springfield Massachusetts and is 64 years old in 2018. Her birth sign is Sagittarius.
Chirlane McCray Ethnicity| Nationality
In regards to her ancestry, she is of Barbadian and St. Lucian descent, but traces her grandmother’s last name (Quashie) to Ghana. She is of American nationality.
Family| Parents
McCray was born and grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. She was born to Parents Mr. Robert Hooper and Mrs. Katherine Clarissa. Her father, Mr.Robert Hooper McCray, was an inventory clerk at a military base while her mother, Katharine Clarissa Eileen, was an assembly worker at an electronics factory.
Young
Her family would later relocate to Longmeadow, Massachusetts when she was ten years old. Due to racial inequalities, other families in the neighborhood who were mostly caucasians circulated petitions demanding they leave the area since they were only the second black family in the area.
Please enable JavaScript
Stacie Rencher Johnson is Brandon Johnson wife» GhLinks.com.gh™
Education
In high school, McCray was for a time the only black student in her school. McCray cites this early experience with racism and bullying as part of the reason she began to write, using her poetry as an outlet for her anger. She also wrote a column for her school newspaper, in which she denounced classmates for their racism.
In 1972, McCray enrolled and attended The Wellesley College. During her tenure at the college; she became a member of the Combahee River Collective, a black feminist organization, which inspired her to write prose and poetry.
Career
”I am a Lesbian” Publication
Upon finishing her studies and graduating from college, McCray moved to New York City to work for Redbook; an American magazine publication where she would pen an article that would feature in Essence in 1979 entitled “I Am a Lesbian”. The management as Essence would later described the article as “groundbreaking”, asserting that it was “perhaps the first time a Black gay woman had spoken so openly and honestly about her sexuality in a Black magazine”. In an interview, she confessed that the purpose of the write up was to “dispel the myth that there are no gay black people”. Asked about her sexuality, McCray has stated that she hates “labels”. In 2012, when asked about her 1979 essay, she commented: “In the 1970s, I identified as a lesbian and wrote about it. In 1991, I met the love of my life, married him.”
Politics
In 1991, McCray entered politics. She worked as a speechwriter for New York City Mayor David Dinkins. During the Clinton administration, she worked for the New York Foreign Press Center as a public affairs specialist. She also worked as a speechwriter for the New York State Comptroller Carl McCall and for New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson.
Husband| Married
McCray and Bill de Blasio met in 1991, when they both worked at New York City Hall for Mayor David Dinkins. During that time, de Blasio worked as an assistant to the deputy mayor and McCray worked as a speechwriter. The two were involved in a relationship before tying the knot in 1994 at the Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
Chirlane McCray Children
McCray and de Blasio have a daughter, Chiara, and a son, Dante. The family lived in Park Slope, Brooklynuntil their 2014 where they relocated into Gracie Mansion; the official residence of the Mayor of N.Y.
Chair of the Mayor’s Fund
In his second month in office, Bill de Blasio named her the chair of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. Since then, the Fund’s mandates entails a focus on mental health, immigration, and youth workforce projects.
Chirlane McCray Mental Health Programme | ThriveNYC
In November 2015, McCray led the launch of ThriveNYC, a plan to overhaul the city’s mental health and substance abuse services, promoting a shift from a traditionally more reactive model, which can strain police, prisons, hospitals, and schools, to an integrated public health approach, focused on awareness and early identification.
2021 Seat
McCray has expressed a desire to run for office in 2021 backed by his husband; the current mayor of N.Y.
Chirlane McCray Books
In 2004, she penned her memoir titled “The Power of Chirlane McCray (Bill de Blasio/First Lady of New York City)” published in June 2014.
She has also penned a lot of poetry over the years. Some of her poetry is included in Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology.
Chirlane McCray Networth
In April 2017,It was reported that de Blasio’s tax returns listed their adjusted income at about $221,000. Most of that comes from de Blasio’s $225,000 salary as Mayor of New York City. McCray however listed no salary.
Chirlane McCray Twitter
Tweets by NYCFirstLady