On the evening of May 30, Chiara de Blasio, 25, was one of many arrested in Manhattan as protests against racial injustice and police brutality continue following George Floyd‘s brutal death on May 25. Chiara, the daughter of NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, was taken into custody for unlawful assembly after refusing to move from where she and other protesters were gathered; she was eventually released from law enforcement. “She was abundantly clear she was peacefully protesting, not doing anything that would provoke a negative response,” Mayor d Blasio said during a news conference on Monday, June 1. “I knew of some of her views. I knew she believed in peaceful protest, I knew she had participated a few nights ago, but in a peaceful manner.” Here are five things you should know about Chiara de Blasio.
1) She is the daughter of Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city’s First Lady Chiralene McCray. Chiara and her family lived in Park Slope in Brooklyn until her family moved to the Gracie Mansion in 2014, following her father’s election. Chiara has a younger brother, Dante, whose experiences with the NYPD have been discussed by their father on the campaign trail.
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2) She’s an activist and an organizer. It’s not a complete shock that Chiara took part in the NYC protests over the weekend, as the young woman is a devoted community organizer. Since September 2015, Chiara has held the role of Program Coordinator of Feminists for Justice for the Santa Clara Community Action Program (SCCAP), according to her LinkedIn page. In her role, Chiara facilitates meetings, delegates tasks to the organization’s volunteers, and plans on-campus events with her team.
3) Chiara has spoken candidly about her struggle with substance abuse and depression. In a YouTube video from 2013, Chiara described how she suffered from clinical depression her “entire adolescence.” She would often use alcohol and drugs as a means to cope with mental health. Chiara credits her therapist and family for being there for her, saying of her parents, “they were both very emotionally committed to figure out some way get me better.”
5) She’s a college graduate. Chiara graduated from Santa Clara University, a Jesuit institution in Silicon Valley. She earned her degree studying Criminal Justice and Women’s and Gender Studies, according to her LinkedIn. Before attending college, Chiara graduated from The Beacon School in Hell’s Kitchen and was a member of organizations like the Gay-Straight Alliance.