Durham: Where Families Matter
Wednesday Evening, at the People’s Alliance Candidate Mixer, I gave a brief speech about myself and why I’m running, and, as I stood before a group of mostly Democrats and Progressives, I wanted to take the moment to make sure people understood what is really at stake in this election. There is a Republican slate trying to take over our Board of Education. This is within the context of a national movement by the alt right to ban books, restrict the teaching of accurate history, and create a hostile learning environment for LGBTQ+ youth. I said, quite plainly, that I am excited to be the only Democrat running for this seat. And I am. This is a non-partisan office, but my values are those reflected by Democrats like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Michelle Obama, and Stacey Abrams. I am proud to run on the bottom of the ballot, and be working for the same goals they are.
As I walked back to my seat, someone I have never met before began yelling at me. They called me a liar and continued to disrupt the entire forum. I was shell-shocked. I could feel my heartbeat race. I knew I would face opposition in this race, but not like that.
As my breathing slows and I begin to process what actually happened, I am reminded that this is why I am doing this. We must remain community-centered. Even in the face of opposition, especially very aggressive opposition. Remaining focused as a community on togetherness is more important than somebody screaming at me. As a mom, it is of utmost importance to me that every decision and policy made by the Board of Education is family and child focused.
Today, I am choosing to call out this attack. It is a mere distraction to the necessary work to make Durham Public Schools better for our families. Durham is the place where families matter, and I am committed to honoring that value. I hope that every voter will understand that we need people elected that are willing to address the attacks on public education. Conservatives are trying to take their place in our Durham by taking on our school board. In every level of government they want to reduce funding the public schools that we rely on to privatize them and create a system that only works for a few. They want to remove truth telling from the education processes. They want to ban books that challenge their narrow worldview.
We need to be louder than this conservative messaging. We need to be louder than the person screaming at me in a room full of people. We need poll standers, canvassers, and signs. And to do all of that, I need your support in the form of donations and volunteering.
We are all so much better than some of the behaviors demonstrated Wednesday. I am not discouraged, but disappointed that our democratic process was sidetracked in this way. Let’s continue to set about showing that this is Durham: where families matter.