{"id":359333,"date":"2026-09-29T00:14:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T00:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/359333\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T00:14:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T00:14:08","slug":"im-turning-over-the-brooklyn-dems-reins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/359333\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m turning over the Brooklyn Dems’ reins"},"content":{"rendered":"

For six years, I\u2019ve sat in the center of what many call Brooklyn\u2019s political game of thrones<\/a> \u2014 a place where power is coveted, alliances shift overnight, and battles erupt without warning. Some joked I was the Mother of Dragons, holding fire in one hand and strategy in the other.<\/p>\n

But I never entered this arena as a character in someone else\u2019s fantasy. I entered as the heir of Jean\u2011Jacques Dessalines \u2014 the revolutionary who led Haiti to become the first Black republic and the first nation in the Americas to abolish slavery. His courage shaped me. His legacy taught me that stepping into Brooklyn politics would be a war zone. I stepped in as a reformer, determined to change the culture, not just survive it.<\/p>\n

I embraced the change \u2014 not with fear, but with purpose. Brooklyn Democrats were known for their wars, not their unity. I wanted a party that served people, not egos.<\/p>\n

I modernized the organization. I brought technology into a party stuck in the past. I created service days. I opened doors to communities long ignored. I made judicial screening transparent, diverse, and reflective of Brooklyn \u2014 Muslim, Jewish, Caribbean, gay, Asian.<\/p>\n

I listened to reformers such as New Kings Democrats<\/a> and expanded the executive committee to include everyday Brooklynites \u2014 formerly incarcerated neighbors, college students, Uber drivers, tenant leaders, retirees, teachers, PTA organizers, attorneys, hospital workers. A real cross\u2011section of who we are.<\/p>\n

I created opportunities for members from every corner of Brooklyn to participate meaningfully in our democracy \u2014 including mobilizing buses for weeks into Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, and Long Island to support national candidates. We showed discipline, unity, and strength. That is what real grassroots power looks like.<\/p>\n

I fought court battles that tested my leadership and resilience, alongside excellent litigators like our law chair, Anthony Genovesi and the Law Committee. Former Chair Frank Seddio worked tirelessly to support the party\u2019s efforts and welcomed me as the first woman to lead the largest party in the nation.<\/p>\n

I delivered results. I rallied the party to raise more than $1 million and paid down every debt \u2014 something many thought impossible. I stabilized the institution so it could serve the people, not be burdened by its past.<\/p>\n

Yes, some elected officials and political allies were pressured into issuing statements about legitimate, lawful, and inclusive rule changes<\/a> \u2014 statements they never wanted to make. Even when those same people were silent against a newly elected district leader\u2019s antisemitic <\/a>statement, or the horrifying act of stripping Syrians and Haitians of their jobs, pensions, and livelihoods, the silence was deafening. But I never let any of that distract me from the mission.<\/p>\n

I never took the attacks personally. I took the responsibility seriously. But when I heard things like \u201cold people don\u2019t vote\u201d or \u201cdon\u2019t worry, the Blacks, Latinos, and Chinese won\u2019t come out,\u201d I knew something was broken. That thinking is dangerous and anti\u2011democratic. It\u2019s why I could no longer sit on the throne. I am a general, not a monarch.<\/p>\n

I am proud of what I built: a party with multiple ideologies on the same stage; a judiciary more diverse than ever; a transparent process that reflects real people; a culture rooted in equity; and a financially stable institution with every debt paid.<\/p>\n

And while I may no longer be the Mother of Dragons, my calling remains clear: to knock on doors, build grassroots power, fight MAGA extremism, restore what was built, and push forward our progressive agenda \u2014 healthcare, housing, childcare, education, economic justice, and dignity.<\/p>\n

While I look forward to being a loving wife and mother, today I proudly embrace my new title: Brooklyn Democratic Party chair emeritus \u2014 a fighter for what is right.<\/p>\n

Brooklyn Dems, I\u2019m forever at your service.<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn led Brooklyn Democrats for six years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For six years, I\u2019ve sat in the center of what many call Brooklyn\u2019s political game of thrones \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359334,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,264,63,299],"class_list":["post-359333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-county","tag-nyc","tag-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/359334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}