Watching the 2024 Democratic National Convention has been nothing short of invigorating – which is not a word one uses lightly for politics. After years of stomach-churning uncertainty in the face of an orange-colored wanna-be-dictator dominating the Republican party, the absurdly normal Democrats taking center stage are nothing short of legendary.
House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries was one of those a normal politicians who took the podium on the third night of the DNC, though his speech was nothing short of pure perfection. He left the audience roaring with delight after forcefully telling former President Trump off, “Bro, we broke up with you for a reason” doing his party, his country, and his family proud.
Hakeem Jeffries’ family
Long before Jeffries was delivering mic-drops mid-impeachment and honoring The Notorious B.I.G. on the Senate floor, he was a simple lawyer. The child of two social workers, he studied law at New York University’s School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1997. The following year he married his wife, Kennisandra Arciniegas, and the two have stayed side-by-side ever since.
Arciniegas-Jeffries tends to stay out of the public eye. She holds a position as a social worker, the same field as her husband’s parents. Arciniegas-Jeffries is a part of the 1199 SEIU Benefit Fund – a labor management fund that provides healthcare and benefits to healthcare workers.
Together the couple has two sons. His oldest, Jeremiah, was born in 2001. Joshua was born 3 years later in 2004. Much like his wife, Jeffries tries to keep his sons out of the political spotlight.
Jeffries spent six years advocating for police reform in the early aughts while he served in the New York State Assembly. His work in the criminal justice system – and no doubt his own experiences growing up – have sown fears of the world his sons will one day inherit.
Jeffries has been incredibly open about his fears for his sons’ futures. The victims of police brutality are still fresh in American minds. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Sonya Massey are just recent repercussions of a system in need of repair. He told CNN in 2014, “I’ve got to worry every day about what can happen to him [Jeremiah], not just from the robbers but from a bad apple on the police department.”
He continued, “The overwhelming majority of New York police officers are to be commended for the great work they’ve done… But there are bad apples on the police force, and when you unleash them without consequence, you see the type of tragedy that results.”