Welcome to a brand new episode of the ¿Quién Tú Eres? podcast, where we explore the conflict we often face between "professionalism" & being our authentic selves. This week's guest is Kevin Riley.  Kevin Riley is the New York City Council Member representing the 12th Council District, covering the neighborhoods of Wakefield, Baychester, Eastchester, Olinville, Edenwald, Williamsbridge, and Co-op City. Council Member Kevin Riley is the Chair of the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and the Co-Chair of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus, which is the largest caucus in the New York City Council.  As Chair, he serves to prioritize creating equal opportunity and access for communities of color within New York City through the legislative, oversight, and budgetary powers of the Council. He has worked to ensure that our infrastructure empowers marginalized communities and addresses the housing crisis with initiatives for affordable housing and homeownership. For nearly the past year, the Council has approved 40 land use applications that will result in over 12,000 projected new housing units, of which over 63 percent are affordable. Under Council Member Kevin C. Riley’s leadership as Co-Chair of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus, the caucus has passed the historic FDNY Diversity bill package. Signed into law, the bills aim to address true equity in the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups within the department, as well as requiring the implementation of diversity, inclusion, anti-discrimination, and anti-harassment training. In this week’s episode, Kevin shares how connecting with Black male role models changed his life. Growing up, Kevin saw his father imprisoned and deported, and it skewed his idea of what his future would look like for the worse. It wasn’t until he was encouraged by Black men who were in political office did he see himself as someone who could make impactful change. Today, Kevin is a New York City Council Member representing the 12th Council District. He uses his position to prioritize creating equal opportunity and access for communities of color within New York City. Check out Kevin’s episode to hear more about his work and his efforts to encourage men to seek community.   Follow Kevin on:  Website: https://council.nyc.gov/district-12/  Instagram: @kevincriley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-c-riley-m-p-a-98961526/  Follow Pabel on: Website: https://plurawl.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plurawl/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@plurawl  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabelmartinez/  Join our Personal Self-Discovery Coach App’s Waitlist here! Click here to book a Pabel for a speaking engagement Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://feeds.megaphone.fm/SCOSR3144394743