In the words of Beyoncé who runs the world “girls!” This is true and we want to give it up for the girls and women who have made their mark on Long Island. Today we’re highlighting Assemblywoman Taylor Raynor.
Raynor is an American and British citizen who was born in Brooklyn to Raulston and Towana Bertley. Her father, Raulston, served in the military and her mother, Towana, devoted her life to law, justice and education, an interesting precursor.
During her early childhood, Taylor lived in Europe with her devoted parents. Taylor learned the game of chess around age four. She and her sister, Sydney, became nationally ranked chess players who practiced and competed seven days a week. She credits the game for developing her strategic approach to problem solving.
In an effort to increase the amount of healthy two-parent households in America, Raynor devoted her life to the field of psychology. She attended her dream college, Spelman, at 16-years-old and was accepted into a clinical psychology doctoral program at 19. Yes, SHE did that! She eventually transferred to Hofstra University and became an industrial organizational psychologist. Raynor has worked in several industries creating and implementing systems to increase efficiency, productivity and profitability. Taylor’s holistic and humanistic approach kept her in high demand in the private sector. However, the growing needs of her community began to require her attention.
Taylor became a crusader for inclusion, equity and economic and social justice after delving into politics. The Hempstead resident was successful and became district 18’s assemblywoman in 2018.
