I am a mother who experienced the unimaginable — losing my daughter to suicide. That loss changed my life forever. It also made something painfully clear: when public systems fail, families are often left alone in the moment they need help the most.

I am not defined only by my grief —but I am shaped by what it taught me. What happened to my family can happen to any family when mental health care is inaccessible, uncoordinated, or ignored. These failures don’t stay private. They show up in our schools, our housing, our public spaces, and the safety of our neighborhoods. This is not just a personal issue — it is a collective responsibility.

I believe the government should not wait for a tragedy to act. Leadership means stepping in before a crisis through strong public systems, prevention, oversight, and accountability. Care and dignity should never be an afterthought.

My name is Tamika Mapp. In addition to being a mother, I am a District Leader, former State Committee Member, veteran, retired 1199 member, and longtime community advocate. For years, I have organized and testified in City Hall and Albany on housing, mental health, education, shared parenting, education, and public safety — because working people deserve leadership that listens, fights, and delivers.

I believe in politics rooted in solidarity, accountability, and public good.

As your next Assemblymember in the 68th Assembly District, I am committed to bringing belonging, protection, and power to families across East Harlem (El Barrio), Randall’s Island, Central Harlem, and the Upper East Side. I am running so no parent has to navigate a mental health crisis alone—and so our government treats prevention and dignity as priorities and not afterthoughts.

I am running to turn a mother’s pain into collective protection for our community — and to help build a future where public systems work for the people they are meant to serve.