A new look for justice
1st-ever Latina Bronx county clerk has change on her mind
While enrolled at Hostos Community College 20 years ago, Ischia Bravo took part in a program that put her on the path that led her to where she is now — the first Latina Bronx county clerk.
At the age of 18, Bravo participated in a mock senate session in Albany during the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Caucus where she served as minority whip.
“You get to serve a day as a senator. You get handed a book with data, you get handed a bill, you get to debate the bill and it changes your lens on government. It changed mine,” said Bravo, 38. “It triggered and sparked my own curiosity and now I’m here.”
Bravo became Bronx county clerk in January, after four years as the district manager of Community Board 7, and previous experience that includes working as chief of staff for state Sen. Jose Serrano and executive director of the Bronx Democratic County Committee. She replaced Luis Diaz after he pleaded guilty in July to writing and filing a phony letter with the court stating Genovese crime family associate Thomas Poli had fulfilled his community service requirements.
A lifetime appointment, the job means Bravo is not only the commissioner of jurors, but the clerk for Civil and Supreme courts in the Bronx, or, as she said, “the guardian of documents.”
One of her main goals is to increase jury participation in the borough, and by the end of the month, there will be displays in the courts with QR codes to register to be part of the jury system.
“People come to get passports, naturalization paperwork, applying to be a notary, getting documents, notarized records,” said Bravo. “It creates awareness around participation.”
Bravo says her experience growing up in public housing in Kingsbridge Heights translates to an understanding of the people she seeks to serve, and who she hopes will do their civic duty.
“I think when you live in a borough that has so many needs and so many ignored needs, people lose faith in the system,” she said. “Serving in the jury is no different. I think there’s a lot of restructuring that has to be done. There has to be the right messenger, and I think I can restore that faith.”
Another goal for Bravo is to make sure her staff has the environment it needs to do the work.
“Investing in the infrastructure, making sure there’s fresh paint when there needs to be, making sure they have accommodating workspaces, boosting morale. We’ve gone through COVID, where the services had to go from one place to the other, everything was digitized,” she said. “It was my priority to come in here to show them that new leadership means positive change.”
Bravo says her experience not only as a lifelong Bronxite but as a Latina adds to her ability to get the job done.
“They say representation matters, and I couldn’t agree more,” she said. “I think someone of my background, my gender, my ability to connect to people in this borough matters. When I go into a jury room and thank them for participating, representation matters. When someone looks like you and sounds like you, it matters.”
Part of Bravo’s mission could include bringing programs like the one that got her started in government to schools in the Bronx to get the next generation of potential public service workers interested and engaged.
“Imagine me taking some kind of jury program to a high school or a college,” said Bravo. “Imagine if someone felt that energy.”