An email touting the gala described Richardson as “a progressive champion.”

Richardson was elected to the New York State Assembly on May 6, 2015. She ran for the seat without the support of the Brooklyn Democratic Party and won with help from the Working Families Party.

Richardson is a member of the Assembly Committees on Banks, Children and Families, Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, Mental Health, Small Business, and Women’s Caucus, and is a member of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, where she serves as secretary of a sub-committee for women of color.

She began her public service career serving as the director of constituent affairs in the office of state Sen. Kevin Parker.

Richardson had earlier been involved in community life in Crown Heights. She was appointed to Community Board 9, where she served on the Education Committee. She is grateful for her years on the community board, she told the Brooklyn Eagle in an interview in October. “The community board is the basic level of government,” she said.

Richardson said she decided to become active in the community because she believed it was the best way to fight for governmental services for local residents. “We have to have a seat at the table,” she said. “The first step is that people have to understand how the government works.”

When she decided to run for public office, she knew she would come under scrutiny. “People put you under a microscope,” she said.

Richardson told the Eagle that she believes government should be doing more for young people in communities like Crown Heights. “We have no YMCA, no youth clubs here,” she said. “We’re not giving young people the second chances that we should. We need additional resources.”

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