Leonardo Williams says Durham Association of Educators disrespected his resume

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Leonardo Williams believes members of Durham Association of Educators disrespected his service as a former educator. He says they failed to honor his resume. He believes they threw his credentials aside in endorsing A. J. Williams to represent Ward 3 on Durham’s City Council.

“As a first-time candidate, I believe it’s important to be present, respect every process, and exhaust every worthy opportunity,” Leonardo says in a statement released earlier today. “A few things I have noticed during the process: 1. There are truly concerned citizens across our city, and many are trusting organizations to inform their political decision-making. 2. Durham is lucky to have so many organizations committed to a progressive and forward-thinking Durham. 3. Durham is in need of a true Ward system.”

Leonardo highlights how his education experience reflects a commitment to educating Durham’s youth and his desire to “cleanse the deterioration of public trust in our political processes.

“Equity in education has always been rooted in my lived experiences, educating our children, advocating alongside my colleagues, and trusting the standards of Teaching and Learning,” Leonardo writes. “When I was “Teacher of the Year”, I was tasked with surveying Teachers across the school district to help choose the next ‘Teacher of the Year’. I’ve seen our schools from great to poor and will be the first to say, we have a lot of work to do to ensure every child in our community has what they need to learn and perform effectively. I’ve been in those classrooms, engaged parents, trained educators, accomplished academic milestones, and helped students see their true potential.”

Michelle Burton, president of Durham Association of Educators, addressed why a former “Teacher of the Year” wasn’t endorsed by Durham’s teachers’ union.

“Leo was Teacher of the Year at the building level, not the district level,” Burton said. “That’s a major difference.”

When asked about concerns involving a small number of DAE membership deciding on who to endorse, Burton says measures were taken to assure full participation.

“As far as union inclusion, we invited the entire membership to the endorsement process for over a month,” Burton said. “Those individuals showed up.”

Leonardo provided an impressive list of qualifications linked to his work in education.

“I hope to make political engagements less about the game we play, but more about a true reflection of the needs of Durham,” Leonardo said. “I hope to ensure we can increase the impact of a single voice and collectively build a progressive agenda that is defined by action taken and results produced.” Durham has long been the victim of ‘aboutism,” whereas, we are drunk in theory, but our palettes are bland in practicality.”