by Jennifer P. Lumley
Dorel Brooks-Murray is extremely proud of Jevonni and the powerful role she plays in her career as Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the New York State Assembly. She instilled in Jevonni the same values she was taught as a poor child growing up in Jamaica — respect and honesty. She encouraged her to be the best she can be, at whatever she set out to do. This upbringing had a great deal to do with how she raised her daughter.
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Jevonni somehow developed a strong sense of self-confidence on her own, and it’s reflected in how the community responds to her and her work. She knows what she’s doing, and she gets better after each project. Because she’s a planner, there’s hardly a time the mother can remember her daughter making any grave errors. Jevonni jokingly responded, “I am perfect, I have done nothing wrong.” Her mother thought about it and said she genuinely cannot think of her making a mistake — maybe only in college, when she shared a dorm room, but knowing her, she would have done better with her own space. If she’s ever made a move that wasn’t the right one, it was more a lesson learned than a mistake made.
Mrs. Brooks-Murray said she has always supported, and will continue to support, the decisions her daughter makes 100 percent of the time.
Jevonni has heard “no” many times in her life, and she’s always bounced back by turning the negative into something positive. If she was refused an opportunity to do something, she would find another way to get it done. From a spiritual standpoint, a “no” means that God didn’t want her to do that, but rather something bigger, better, more fulfilling. God’s answers sometimes require waiting, and she finds spiritual growth in that waiting.
Her mother agreed, adding that her daughter’s choices as an independent person have been good ones. But if something didn’t seem like the best move, or she didn’t see the benefit of a choice, she would nudge her — while still remaining supportive, especially knowing they both grew up in the church and share a strong faith. She has never tried to sway her away from her choices.
Jevonni said one of the things she admires most about her mother is her work ethic. It was instilled in her, and she greatly admires and mirrors it as well. Mrs. Brooks-Murray is productive in her workplace, offers help, and is self-motivated and independent. She remembers traveling alone at age 11 on the plane to Jamaica; in the U.S., she could take a cab to go shopping and get a cab back home. She is strong-minded. Like her daughter, she’s known for getting to work, doing the job, and leaving only when it’s done. Good work ethic will always take you places.
At a graduation ceremony at her church, Mrs. Brooks-Murray handed her daughter’s resume to Speaker Heastie, who suggested positions that weren’t suitable. He eventually offered her a position in his office, and eighteen years later, come November 2026, she still holds it. They make an amazing duo. The Officer-in-Charge at the Jamaican Consulate jokingly said Jevonni was the “Quiet Giant,” and the name has stuck ever since. People know they can’t cross a certain line with her, but in a good way — they know she’s knowledgeable, dependable, and often able to anticipate the Speaker’s needs before he expresses them, having worked with him for so many years. No one really even knows that she was a criminal justice major at Penn State University.
The mother is still in awe of the work her daughter is doing and has done. They remain very close and go on vacations annually. Jevonni also had a great relationship with her late grandmother, and helped orchestrate a get-together with her aunts and mother so the grandmother could share equally what little she had with her grandchildren. It was amazing that even when Jevonni studied abroad and came home on school breaks, her grandmother would have meals prepared and frozen for her to take back to Italy, where many of her friends got a taste of what came across the ocean — she had to have that “Caribbean comfort food” while away from home. Mrs. Brooks-Murray is certain that Grandma is saying to Jevonni, “Well done, well done.” She would echo those same sentiments.
Her grandmother also had a great work ethic — she worked at a shelter, and even if she fell in the snow on the way there, she’d brush herself off and continue on her way.
The love that Jevonni has been shown is exactly what she’s now pouring into her own children. It’s heartwarming to know that intergenerational Caribbean love and care continue even within the diaspora, away from the continuously warm Jamaican sunshine.
