Meet Phara Souffrant Forrest, 31-year-old nurse who is now a member of the New York State Assembly

Meet Phara Souffrant Forrest, 31-year-old nurse who is now a member of the New York State Assembly

As a Brooklyn, New York native and nurse, Phara Souffrant Forrest, who was recently elected to represent the 57th district in the New York State Assembly, knows the needs of her community.Three years ago, when her landlord informed her and her neighbors that their rent-stabilized apartment building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn was being turned into luxury condos, Forrest fought back and implemented change. "I knew that our tenants, and me, would be subject to harassment and evictions," the 31-year-old tells CNBC Make It. "And I saw our power."She and a few of her neighbors formed a tenants union for their building and Forrest joined the Crown Heights Tenant Union for further guidance on how to legally protect their rights. It was then when she realized that there were many other tenants in her neighborhood who were also using collective action to fight against displacement.In June 2019, she fought alongside the Housing Justice For All campaign in Albany, New York, helping to win a landmark agreement to strengthen New York City's rent and tenant protection laws. Some of the changes she and the Housing Justice For All campaign fought for included getting rid of rules that allowed building owners to deregulate