We did it!

With all of the gerrymandering of districts this election cycle, there were times when I wondered if this day would ever arrive. The truth is, I never intended to campaign for five months, and as exhausting as this journey has been, I have found energy in this campaign. From the beginning, this has felt less like my campaign for school board and more like our campaign for a school system that more fully supports students and families. I have enjoyed talking with all of the people that make our schools worth fighting for: instructional assistants, bus drivers, parents, teachers, students, and the incredible community stakeholders that don’t have to pay attention to our schools but choose to invest their time and energy into our students.

The reality is I didn’t find myself in this moment alone. To quote Misty Copeland, “All you can do is be your best self. I’m representing more than just me. I think everyone should be like that.” There are so many people who have brought me to this moment. Aside from the many, many voters (over 17 thousand is a number I have yet to fully wrap my head around), I have an incredible team to thank, most especially my Sonshine who was amenable to all the ups and downs as we campaigned. I may never be able to repay you for all the time, money, prayers, and support you offered. When a member of my household tested positive for COVID (we are still in the pandemic) you all stepped up to provide meals, poll standing, and even with voter outreach. You helped me share my story with Durham from the very beginning, and you answered my calls all times of the day and night. The reality is so many parents have quite literally entrusted their children to me with their votes, and that is an honor I take quite seriously.

I also appreciate every single one of the many politically active community leaders, organizations, and institutions who painstakingly read questionnaires, interviewed candidates, reviewed platforms, and chose the candidate they genuinely believed would be best for Durham. Even if I wasn’t your first choice for this seat, I find hope in the knowledge that we all are working towards a more equitable Durham for future generations, and in that, we can find so much common ground. I truly look forward to working together over the coming months and years to better serve Durham’s families.

I appreciate Board Member Ravin’s service to Durham on the Board of Education, I have never seen myself as running against Mr. Ravin so much as I am running for the 44% of Durham households led by single parents like myself who need adequate representation of experiences on this board. I am excited to represent families like mine on the Board, prioritizing community schools and increased funding for support staff. I also recognize that there are families whose lived experiences and needs are different from my own, and I look forward to championing increased family engagement as well as truly listening to and learning from them. Lastly, I am so grateful for the incredible DPS family, and I am prepared to advocate for better working conditions, increased pay, and a more robust approach to recruitment and retention. This is the work I set out to do, and I know I will do my best, but I also know I will need all of you. My hope with this campaign was to create a movement that could fuel our public school system forward. I believe we’ve done that, and I’ll quote Rosa Parks in saying, “There is work to do.”