I am the Mayor Pro Tempore of the City of Durham, a long-time community organizer and activist, and a mother of two. I was first elected to the Durham City Council in 2015 on a platform of racial, economic, and environmental justice, police accountability, equitable development, broadening democracy, and centering the voices of those who are most impacted by the issues facing our city. In 2017, I was unanimously chosen to serve as Mayor Pro Tempore by my council colleagues, and in 2019, I was elected to a second term on the Durham City Council.
Since June of 2020 I have served as the North Carolina State Advisor for Movement Voter Project. MVP works to strengthen progressive power at all levels of government by helping donors support the best and most promising local community-based organizations in key states, with a focus on youth and communities of color. We believe that supporting local movement vote groups is the most effective strategy to transform our country.
I am a co-founder of Durham for All, an organization working to build a multi-racial, cross-class, political vehicle in Durham. I’m also on the national board of Local Progress, a network of progressive local elected officials, and co-chair our state chapter. I am active in the labor movement and was one of nearly 1,000 people arrested in 2013 as part of North Carolina’s Moral Monday movement.
Originally from Virginia, I moved to Durham in 1999 to attend Duke University and graduated in 2003 with a B.A. in public policy and a minor in women’s studies. I have been working in the non-profit sector since 2004 with experience in administration, community organizing, mobilization, communications, social media, and information technology.
I am also a board game designer working on my first project, a cooperative game that imagines the development of a future communitarian society in Appalachia after over 100 years of climate change. I live in Durham’s West End neighborhood with my partner and kids.