“I can’t describe how meaningful it is to have the support of the carpenters union that has made such an impact on my life and the lives of so many New Yorkers. I’ve experienced first-hand the importance of union jobs for families, and I’m ready to fight for living wages and substantial benefits, worker safety and protection, and a stronger future for all working people to thrive,” Reid said.

Thank you @nycmayor and @officialmainotv for bringing together the culture for a productive conversation last night. One message was clear, we have to work together to keep our city safe. We need to provide jobs, resources, and real to the communities living in poverty if we are ever going to reshape negative narratives on our culture that we love. Music has been an avenue for many to make it out. We should not have to be lucky making it out and off to better circumstances for ourselves and our families.

“I think that it’s easy to go and get a job now,” said Reid, “but I’m turning it down to serve the people.”

We are all grateful for AM Nick Perry’s years of service to us. As a fellow Jamaican, I am really proud to see a member of my community represent my country in Jamaica,” said Reid. “Now it’s time to pick up the baton and provide leadership to get the job done and  represent this beating heart of Brooklyn in New York’s Capital.”

“He’s a hero in my book,” said Reid.

“Power. Courage. Strength. That fortitude. Being Black means royalty. I think about Africa. I think about culture. Rich culture. I think about ‘beautiful.’ I am beautiful,” he said.  It sounded as if it were a poem. “These are not things I grew up thinking. I had to learn these things. I had to see these things. I had to believe these things. That I am capable. That I am important. That my voice matters. That just like anybody else, I too, can be successful.”

This was made possible with the assistance of Hercules E. Reid in Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams Office, Ben Pokh, Muhammad Ahmed, Pakistani American Youth Society, Shorefront Coalition, Akram Hossain, Ahsan Chughtai and Khari Edwards of Brookdale Hospital.

“We want to utilize today as an opportunity to spread a message to end gun violence,” said Hercules Reid

“I’m trying to do the best I can,” Justin Valera-Lopez, who’s going into 7th grade, told Brooklyn Reporter. “‘Cause, like Hercules said, it’s our job to clean the neighborhoods because this is where we live and this is our planet.”

“Why is it that it took us coming out here, using our time, using our sweat, partnering with the Department of Sanitation to clean up this lot, before somebody saw the need? Why is it that we continue to elect people that neglect certain areas of our neighborhoods and why are we not asking them why?” Reid said. 

Reid has led efforts to clean the area as part of a series of actions for environmental justice he hoped would encourage not only community members, but elected officials too, to improve how east Flatbush deals with its trash.

Hercules decides to suspend his campaign for City Council, with still a mission to serve his community.

At just 26-years-old, Hercules Reid, is the youngest candidate in the special election to fill the vacant 45th City Council District seat covering Flatbush, East Flatbush, Flatlands, Midwood and Canarsie.

The 26-year-old is the youngest candidate in the 11-person race. As a young community organizer, he first started advocating for fairer higher education. As a student he fought against tuition hikes at CUNY and advocated for more capital funding. He graduated from City Tech, a CUNY school, in 2017 where he received a bachelors in Architectural Technology.

Hercules Reid recounted his time as a CUNY student advocate. “Very often the narrative is that students go to CUNY for free, very often the narrative also leaves out that these same students are food insecure, they lack mental health services, they do not receive financial aid, and they are homeless. Throughout the six years that I was a CUNY student and advocate, tuition hikes and budget cuts have been more reliable than the officials I spoke to.

"Since 2011, tuition has gone up over 35 percent," said Hercules Reid, vice chairman of legislative affairs for the CUNY University Student Senate, at a rally outside Cuomo's Manhattan office Thursday morning. "How much more can students bear? You're running for another term claiming to be a friend of students, but our university is broken. We are here demanding that you fix CUNY now."

On the Million Dollar Staircase in the State Capitol Wednesday, student-government leaders, union officers and more than 100 student activists rallied for public funding — not tuition increases — to improve the quality of public higher education.

NYS Senate Public Hearing on Student Loans.

NYS Senate Public Hearing on Student Loans.

The New York City Committee on Higher Education Inez D. Barron, Chair Members: Laurie A. Cumbo, Robert F. Holden, Ben Kallos and Ydanis A. Rodriguez Thursday, February 14, 2019 10:00 AM 250 Broadway - Committee Rm, 16th Fl.

A long-awaited report was released on Thursday by the Task Force on Affordability, Admissions, and Graduation Rates at the City University of New York -- convened through City Council legislation -- that included recommendations for broad changes to the operations and funding of CUNY.

"For most of its rich history, CUNY has been seen as an engine of social and economic mobility for everyday working-class New Yorkers. With the report issued by the CUNY Task Force, we finally have a blueprint to lead us back to CUNY's true roots: free tuition for all. The Task Force is calling on legislators from the city, state and federal government to read this white paper and act now," added Hercules E. Reid, Co-Chair of City Council CUNY Task Force.

“At that point, I didn’t know what to do, because it was a federal situation and I’m just a city government president on a local level,” Reid told Clarion. When faced with the challenge, Reid decided to make some calls. First, he spoke with CUNY Board of Trustees member Una Clarke, who suggested writing a letter to Chancellor James Milliken. Reid wrote the letter that day and sent it.

Hercules Reid, CUNY University Student Senate vice chair for legislative affairs, lamented that, due to years of underfunding, “the cost of higher education is moving beyond our means. Now, more than ever, we need to stand up and fight for accessibility, affordability and equality of education … The journey may be long, but the victory will be sweet!”

“It was amazing news once we found out about the ban being lifted,” said CUNY student Hercules Reid, who had been involved with the effort to bring her back. Sincerely,

As a student I have directly benefited from my engagement in programs such as the black male initiative (BMI) Through BMI I was able to save money on textbooks for a few semesters and received the necessary one on one tutoring to pass my remedial and beginning level course.

The CUNY Rising Alliance, a partnership of student organizations, unions and community groups, held a City Hall rally on December 7, the same day it released a white paper detailing what the group called a diminishing level of investment in CUNY by the city and state.

CityTechTuesday—based on #GivingTuesday—was a big success this year. Starting in late October, the social media campaign culminated in an afternoon of celebration with students, faculty, staff, sponsors and celebrity supporters in the Namm Cafeteria on November 29—the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season.