Hakeem Jeffries’ parents are Laneda Jeffries and Marland Jeffries. Unfortunately, there are not enough details about Hakeem Jeffries’ parents on site.
However, Hakeem Sekou Jeffries, born on August 4, 1970, is a prominent American politician and attorney.
He has been serving as the House Minority Leader and leading the House Democratic Caucus in the US House of Representatives.
As of 2023, Jeffries is in his sixth term in the House, representing the 8th congressional district of New York, which covers southern and eastern Brooklyn.
Before his election to the House in 2012, Jeffries served as a member of the New York State Assembly for three terms, representing the 57th district.
He also worked as a corporate lawyer. In 2019, Jeffries was appointed as the chair of the House Democratic Caucus and held that position until 2023. In November 2022, he was elected as the caucus leader, succeeding Nancy Pelosi, without any opposition.
Early life And Career
Hakeem Jeffries was born at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City to parents Laneda Jeffries, a social worker, and Marland Jeffries, a state substance-abuse counselor.
He spent his childhood in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and has roots tracing back to Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, and Cape Verde.
In 1988, Jeffries completed his graduation from Midwood School. He studied political science at Binghamton University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in 1992.
While at Binghamton, he also became a Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity member.
After finishing his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in political science from Binghamton University, Jeffries went on to pursue further education in the field of public policy.
He achieved a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of public policy in 1994.
He then enrolled at the New York University School of Law, where he became a member of the New York University Law Review and earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1997.
Following graduation, Jeffries served as a law clerk for Judge Harold Baer Jr. of the Southern District of New York for a year. He then worked as a private practitioner at the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison from 1998 to 2004.
In 2004, he transitioned to in-house litigation for Viacom and CBS, handling the controversy of the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.
While at Paul Weiss, Jeffries also served as the director of intergovernmental affairs for the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors and was the president of Black Attorneys for Progress.
Personal Life
Hakeem Jeffries is married to Kennisandra Arciniegas-Jeffries, a social worker employed by 1199 SEIU’s Benefit Fund. They have two sons and reside in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Jeffries practices the Baptist religion.
Hakeem Jeffries has a younger sibling, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, who holds the position of associate professor of history at Ohio State University and is the writer of “Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights” and also “Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt.”
Endorsements
In 2007, during his first term in the New York State Assembly, Jeffries approved and supported Barack Obama, becoming one of Obama’s earliest supporters in Hillary Clinton’s home state of New York.
In an interview, Jeffries stated, “When I first ran for office, some folks suggested that somebody with the name ‘Hakeem Jeffries’ couldn’t get elected. But when I saw somebody with the name ‘Barack Obama’ get elected to the US Senate, it was certainly inspiring to me.”
Although Barack Obama did not publicly support candidates in Democratic primaries, he and former President Bill Clinton posed for a picture with Jeffries before the 2012 Congressional primary against Charles Barron. The photograph was effectively utilized in campaign materials.
Jeffries endorsed Walter T. Mosley during a 2012 special election, who emerged as the winner and filled Jeffries’ former position in the New York State Assembly.
The following year, Jeffries supported Laurie Cumbo in the highly contested race for Brooklyn’s 35th city council seat, which was left vacant by Tish James, who earned the citywide race for Public Advocate with Jeffries’ endorsement.
