Jass Stewart: gay man running for mayor of Brockton, Massachusetts

Meet the candidate. Jass Stewart believes the best way to transform Brockton into one of the world’s best cities is to listen to the concerns and hopes of voters. Please join us for a town hall meeting, where residents will be able to learn more about Jass Stewart. We also look forward to a lively discussion about the future of Brockton.



- Please RSVP for the January 25th town hall meeting.
http://www.jassstewart.com/#


See also:
Jajuan and his Two Dads
By Tanu T. Henry
Although gay parenting is on the rise, especially in states where gays and lesbians are allowed to adopt children, it is still not an everyday occurrence. It is even more unusual to find openly gay or lesbian African American parents in same sex households. That's why Massachusetts black, gay couple Jass Stewart and Denzil Paul, are so unique.

Stewart, 31, is originally from Dallas but now lives in Brockton, Massachusetts, and has been out of the closet since he was 17. The six-foot tall, bald-headed, dark skinned brother says he always hoped for a family of his own, even though he knew he couldn't have one in the traditional sense.

"Family is very important to me," explains Stewart. "It's not just that it is a personal support system. It grounds, affirms and empowers you."
http://www.africana.com/articles/daily/index_20020808_b.asp




2 poised for run if Yunits leaves Mayor's choice due in January
By Robert Preer, Globe Correspondent | December 5, 2004

Although they say they would not run against incumbent John T. Yunits Jr. next year, two of Brockton's best-known politicians already have launched unofficial campaigns for mayor.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/12/05/2_poised_for_run_if_yunits_leaves/

Jajuan and his Two Dads




Jass Stewart was born in Dallas, Texas on March 13, 1971. A graduate of Boston University, Stewart earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Literature and a Master's degree in Educational Media. But even before he moved to Massachusetts for college, he sharpened his skill for communicating ideas and inspiring others during his high school years at the Business Management Center in Dallas. At this magnet school for gifted students, he was the senior class commencement speaker and an active leader in many extracurricular activities.

Since his college graduation, Jass Stewart has excelled in a wide field of professional work. He has served in key media outreach positions for major multimillion-dollar national and international media outreach efforts since 1994, including Hopes on the Horizon: Africa in the 1990s, I'll Make Me a World: A Century of African-American Arts, and BreakThrough: The Changing Face of Science in America. In addition to being one of the youngest executives in the history of Blackside (producers of the public television series Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years), Stewart also taught classes in two adjunct professorships at Boston University.

Jass Stewart cites the culture, progressive political environment, and sense of community as reasons for his permanent move to Massachusetts. Yet, his decision to move to Brockton was an even more personal one. After thriving in the bustle of the greater Boston area for 10 years, Brockton's small-town charm, convenient location, and incredible potential for a prosperous business and family life attracted him to the city in 1999.

"It's one of the best decisions I've ever made," he says. "The world is so transient these days. It's good to be able to live in a city that my family and I can call our home."

In addition to founding and serving as president of Invent Media Corp. (www.inventmedia.com), a multimedia production company located in the heart of Brockton on Main Street, Jass Stewart remains committed to contributing to the civic and social life of Brockton. Stewart serves on the boards of Brockton Area Multi-Services, Inc. (BAMSI), Brockton Neighbors United, and the Brockton Telecommunications Commission. He is also a member of the Mayor's Taskforce on After-School Programs, a neighborhood Crime Watch leader, and a former committee member of the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs. He also maintains close ties to several organizations in the greater Boston area. A former MIT research fellow, Stewart is interested in the transformative power of technology and shared knowledge in the building and development of communities.

Jass Stewart's extensive travels have given him a broadened perspective for and greater appreciation of life at home. He has traveled to most parts of Western Europe and Southeast Asia, and has visited Ghana, Morocco, Canada, and Mexico. He has moderate working knowledge of Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese.

Jass Stewart lives on Clyde Street on the northside of Brockton with his partner, Denzil Paul,
and their adopted son, Jajuan. During his downtime, Stewart enjoys traveling with his family, distance running, reading, swimming, floor hockey, writing, football, and rollerblading.

See: http://www.JassStewart.com

Thanks for this piece of bravery.

You know how sometimes you meet someone and you just KNOW there's nothing they can't do?

That would be Jass.

I'm glad that this lifted your spirits.

Also, here's some more of his press mentions

From Bay Windows:
Gay Brocktonian aims for City Hall
Jass Stewart launches his campaign for mayor

Jass Stewart hopes to make history in Brockton. If elected mayor in 2005, the 33-year-old would be the first black man ever to hold the top job in this working-class city 20 miles south of Boston.

He is also an openly gay family man: Earlier this year Stewart married his partner Denzil Paul; the couple is raising a 12-year-old son, Jajuan.

With Paul, Jajuan and Stewart's brother, Anthony, standing nearby, Stewart announced his candidacy Sept. 25 to a crowd of about 100 friends, supporters and politically curious Brockton residents at the city's Shaw's Center on Lexington Ave. He laid out a five-point strategy "to build a city that works for all of us," pledging to return city government to the people, create jobs, improve educational opportunities for city residents, to fight crime and "win the peace on our streets," and to increase home and local business ownership among Brocktonians.

The Democrat is the first candidate to throw his hat into the ring for the city's mayoral election, which isn't held until November of 2005. Incumbent Mayor John Yunits has not yet decided whether he'll seek re-election to a sixth term.

The rest:
http://www.baywindows.com/news/2004/09/30/LocalNews/Gay-Brocktonian.Aims.For.City.Hall-736544.shtml

Also:

The face of gay marriage: Local couples share their stories
By Terence J. Downing, Enterprise staff writer

Denzil Paul, 31, and his partner, Jass Stewart, 32, plan to get their blood test next Tuesday in Brockton and then go to City Hall for their marriage license.

"We will get married at City Hall and then have a more formal event later on with our friends," said Paul.

Paul said Stewart gave him a marriage application for Valentine's Day.

They have been partners for three years and have an adopted 11-year-old son, Jajuan, an honor roll student at the Raymond School.

"He's doing great and he loves school. He got an A in math," said Paul. "He turns 12 in a month."

Paul helped organize an candlelight vigil a few months ago in Brockton in support of same-sex marriages.

He is a member of MassEquality, a coalition of local and national groups working to protect the state Supreme Judicial Court decision on marriage equality.

"We had about 50 people show up and it was freezing," said Paul.

Paul and Stewart are also active in Brockton organizations and causes.

Stewart is on the board of Brockton Area Multi-Service Inc., Champion Charter School, Brockton Neighborhoods United and the Mayor's Task Force for After School Programs. He is also on the search committee to select a new school superintendent.

Stewart is senior fellow at MIT's Technology's Department of Urban Planning Studies, where he is in the Center for Reflective Community Practice.

"Our lives are open. We love and respect each other and we love our city of Brockton. It's a great city," said Paul.

"Our street is diverse, like a United Nations, and we respect each other's cultures and religions," said Paul. "We have wonderful neighbors."

http://enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2004/05/15/news/news/news02.txt