Astor ‘Chaka’ Cousins
Astor ‘Chaka’ Cousins was born on the Island of Jamaica, in the Parish of Portland on September 20, 1951. At the age of 16, Astor migrated to the United States, where he attended Howard Taft High School in The Bronx, N. Y. After graduating high school, he started at Bronx Community College before graduating from Bernard Baruch College of the State University of New York in 1976 with a degree in Business Administration.
Mr. Cousins spent the majority of his career with the New York City Housing Authority where he rose through the ranks from housing assistant to Housing Manager. He was a key figure in the successful operations of several developments including the Lincoln and Amsterdam Houses in Manhattan as well as the Marcy, Glenwood and Van Wyck Houses in Brooklyn. Some of his responsibilities throughout his career involved setting up tenant patrols, serving as a sounding board and resource distributor to the Tenant elected officials, and interacting with community leaders, local precients and local politicians. Astor ‘Chaka’ Cousins retired from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) in 2008 after 31 years of service.
Mr. Cousins has been a Pan African Activist his entire adult life. He has helped to organize the African Liberation Program from 1978 to the present. From 1978 to 1981, he was responsible for coordinating mass bus travel from New York City to Washington D.C. After 1981, he shifted his focus to organizing African Liberation day locally. Astor ‘Chaka’ Cousins has worked with several organizations on a National level including the All African People Revolutionary Party, the Patrice Lumumba Coalition, the Universal Negro Improvement Association (U.N.I.A.), the World African Diaspora Union (W.A.D.U.) and the African Poetry Theater. Mr. Cousins is also the president of Ras Jah International, where he works with the Rastafarian community.
Since retiring from the Housing Authority, Astor ‘Chaka’ Cousins has spent his time traveling and working on behalf of the myriad organizations that he has dedicated himself to. Astor ‘Chaka’ Cousins has received numerous awards and accommodations for his tireless devotion as a people’s champion and his efforts to serve his community.
Mr. Cousins spent the majority of his career with the New York City Housing Authority where he rose through the ranks from housing assistant to Housing Manager. He was a key figure in the successful operations of several developments including the Lincoln and Amsterdam Houses in Manhattan as well as the Marcy, Glenwood and Van Wyck Houses in Brooklyn. Some of his responsibilities throughout his career involved setting up tenant patrols, serving as a sounding board and resource distributor to the Tenant elected officials, and interacting with community leaders, local precients and local politicians. Astor ‘Chaka’ Cousins retired from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) in 2008 after 31 years of service.
Mr. Cousins has been a Pan African Activist his entire adult life. He has helped to organize the African Liberation Program from 1978 to the present. From 1978 to 1981, he was responsible for coordinating mass bus travel from New York City to Washington D.C. After 1981, he shifted his focus to organizing African Liberation day locally. Astor ‘Chaka’ Cousins has worked with several organizations on a National level including the All African People Revolutionary Party, the Patrice Lumumba Coalition, the Universal Negro Improvement Association (U.N.I.A.), the World African Diaspora Union (W.A.D.U.) and the African Poetry Theater. Mr. Cousins is also the president of Ras Jah International, where he works with the Rastafarian community.
Since retiring from the Housing Authority, Astor ‘Chaka’ Cousins has spent his time traveling and working on behalf of the myriad organizations that he has dedicated himself to. Astor ‘Chaka’ Cousins has received numerous awards and accommodations for his tireless devotion as a people’s champion and his efforts to serve his community.