My Platform

I’m not asking for your vote lightly. I firmly believe that we can work together to put people over profits here in District 8. When you go to the polls on August 24, I want you to know that I stand with you in revitalizing our district and building fair access to resources that everyone deserves to thrive instead of merely surviving. 

These ideas will continue the work I’ve been a part of for almost two decades in our district. I’ve protested, advocated for our rights in front of city hall, and organized around these issues while others have sat in boardrooms and ignored our basic needs. 

I want to hear from you! My first priority is making sure I’m accessible to hear your concerns, hopes, and dreams as my neighbor in District 8. I plan on contacting residents throughout the district before August to hear what you want to see in the community. If you’d like to get in touch with me, feel free to visit my contact page.

Everyone deserves a safe place to call home, and I have several ideas on how to make this idea a reality. Many of these ideas come from frameworks and plans that the city council has already voted on, which have sat gathering dust for nearly a decade. We need a council that will put these ideas into action. 

Addressing Crime at the Root

• We must address crime at its roots by implementing violence interruption programs, and addressing poverty and mental health issues. 
• Overhauling crisis response to include professional crisis workers for mental health and homelessness-related emergency calls. 
• We must implement community policing strategies.
• We must fight for transparency and accountability around public safety and surveillance.
• Prioritizing safe and effective treatment options for mental health issues in our city.

Preserving History and Affordable Home Ownership

• I’ll work to preserve housing and beautify our neighborhoods by passing an Affordable Housing Trust Fund ordinance.
• Reforming the Birmingham Land Bank Authority to work for residents and address blight.
• Increasing the resources of our neighborhood-based development organizations.
• Preserving the rich history of our district for future generations.
• Addressing homelessness by giving our street neighbors a path to permanent home ownership.

Improving Public Infrastructure and Transportation

• Increasing funding for street and sidewalk repaving.
• Investing in public transportation and covered bus stops.
• Improving the sanitation services in our district by implementing regular trash and bulk pickup, and making recycling more accessible.

Our district deserves the same access to public funding and nutritious food as everywhere else in Birmingham. Here’s what we’ll do to secure this tangible enrichment in our community.

Healthy Food

• Making sure the city’s state lobbying agenda prioritizes policies that help residents secure healthy and nutritious food.
• Increasing access to healthier meal ingredients and nutritious food options by working with mutual aid programs, the Central Alabama Food Bank, urban farmers, and other community partners.
• Activating our community chefs and leveraging publicly-owned buildings to create affordable community cafes that serve healthy food options, much like the West End Community Cafe. 
• Working with neighborhood groups to develop community-owned grocery stores that offer fresh foods at affordable prices in our district. 
• Supporting the development of community garden projects and commercial-scale agriculture businesses that are run by the community.

Empowering Small Black Business Owners

• Empowering black small business owners by bringing more small business incentives and training into our district. 
• Increasing access to small business loans for established black-owned businesses and start-ups.
• Working with the Chamber of Commerce, neighborhood associations, and more to develop a large-scale strategy around black community-owned business development. 
• Ensuring our residents are first in line for jobs when outside businesses open their doors in District 8.

Countering Gentrification

• Securing more skill-building opportunities in our community. 
• Ensuring neighborhood associations and community-based nonprofits have a seat at the table for large developmental projects in the district.
• Securing community-benefit agreements for large-scale projects to ensure all developments will uplifts our residents.

If we’re going to build a better future for District 8, we need to ensure that it includes our children. Here are a few ways we’ll work to make that happen.

Stronger Schools

• We must work to build stronger schools by working to secure additional funding for the schools in our district, while advocating for civilian review of those designated funds.
• As schools reopen, we need to ensure that our children can catch up safely with fair access.

Safer Places and Activities

• We need to ensure our communities have safe communities spaces and activities, especially for our youth and elders.
• As our children return to school, they’ll need safe places to study and access the internet. In order to make this happen we must refund the libraries, and prioritize our cherished community programs.
• We’re going to make sure our parks are safe and clean places for the entire community to gather.
• Properly fund our existing recreation centers, and look for new opportunities to create safe and accessible activities for our youth.
• Bring new programs into our district by leveraging our publicly owned buildings, like the CrossPlex, as affordable space for community based organizations.
• We’ll partner with the Board of Education and community-based nonprofits to redevelop abandoned or dilapidated schools and commercial properties into spaces for our youth and elders.

By this point, you’ve read a lot of promises. Here’s how I’ll turn those promises into results. 

Participatory Budgeting

• I’ll push for Participatory Budgeting Ordinance so that we get a say in how the city spends our tax dollars instead of the other way around. 
• Uplifting neighborhood concerns and the people’s priorities in the annual budget.

Developing Community Resources 

• Allocating discretionary funds to Neighborhood Associations and community based groups working in District 8.
• Securing grants for our communities in partnership with nonprofits and small businesses in the district.
• Hosting events in district.

Following Neighborhood Leadership

• Introducing ordinances that will prioritize people, and voting in line with communities residents.
• Voting for resolutions that help our community and against anything that will harm them.
• Taking Grievances from Community Members.

Transparency and Accountability 

• Sponsoring a strong Open Records Request Ordinance to legally require transparency city wide.
• Serving on existing city council committees and work to establish any new committees that may be required to meet our needs.
• Appointing residents to the city’s boards and authorities that will put people over profits.