Jamaal Anthony Bowman (born April 1, 1976) is an American politician and former educator who served from 2021 to 2025 as the United States representative for New York's 16th congressional district.

Bowman is the founder and former principal of the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, a public middle school in Eastchester, Bronx.

On October 26, 2023, Bowman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for willfully setting off a false fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building.

[1][2] In 2024, Bowman ran for reelection[3] but lost to Westchester County executive George Latimer in the district's Democratic primary.

[13] Bowman briefly attended Potomac State Junior College in West Virginia before earning a Bachelor of Arts in sports management from the University of New Haven in 1999.

[11][12] As principal of Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, Bowman curated a "wall of honor" featuring likenesses of prominent Black, Latino, and Asian individuals.

[18][19][20] HuffPost political reporter Daniel Marans criticized Bowman for including "a notorious antisemite and two Black militants convicted of murder and armed robbery"; Bowman's campaign spokesperson responded that it is "a rhetorical tool of the far right to insinuate educating students on major figures of Black American history is serving to promote hateful or divisive rhetoric or actions.

[22] He wrote that high-stakes testing had a role in perpetuating inequalities,[25] including turnover, tumult, and a vicious cycle it creates in students' and educators' lives, saying performance assessments damage a school's ability to teach.

Bowman also advocated for children to receive arts, history, and science education in addition to the basics of literacy and numeracy.

Bowman was inspired to run by the insurgent 2018 campaign of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and called his platform "anti-poverty and anti-racist", with support for housing, criminal justice reform, education, Medicare for All, and a Green New Deal.

Bowman's endorsements from the Sunrise Movement and the New York Working Families Party assisted with fundraising despite being well behind Engel.

[36] A frequent critic of U.S. support for Israel during the Gaza-Israel conflict, Bowman was challenged by pro-Israel Westchester County Executive George Latimer in the Democratic primary.

[66] In September 2021, Bowman voted in favor of providing Israel with an additional $1 billion in aid to fund its Iron Dome missile defense system.

Explaining his vote, he said, "it is astounding how quickly Congress moves weapons but we can't ensure housing, care, and justice for our veterans, nor invest in robust jobs programs for districts like mine.

[76][77] On November 17, Bowman called reports of Israeli women being raped during the 2023 Hamas attack "propaganda" and a "lie".

[78][79] Bowman apologized in June 2024, saying, "Immediately when the U.N. provided additional evidence, I voted to condemn the sexual violence.

"[80][81] Liberal Israel lobby group J Street withdrew its endorsement of Bowman on January 29, 2024, citing the "framing and approach" of his response to the Hamas attack.

[11][91] His wife was upset about his decision to run for office for "the first eleven months", Bowman said on an episode of The Carlos Watson Show.