Valerie Foushee prepares to serve residents of Durham County

“You don’t know me, but I know you,” Valerie Foushee, Democratic Party candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, said during a visit at her campaign headquarters. “I used to come to Durham to listen to you preach at Orange Grove Missionary Baptist Church.”

It was a firm reminder that Foushee is present in Durham. Sometimes she’s in the crowd – listening. Sometimes she’s out front – working to make a difference.

Foushee’s roots are in Orange County where she was the oldest of six children born to two teenage parents. Her parents worked multiple jobs, teaching Foushee the benefit of hard work, community service and education. She attended segregated schools in Chapel Hill -Carrboro until the sixth grade, shaping a lifelong journey of advocating for the rights of Black and Brown students.

Chapel Hill – Carrboro residents elected Foushee to serve on the school board before making her the first Black woman elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners. She took office as a member of the state House of Representatives and then the state Senate, but what about Durham?

Rev-elution: It’s been more than 50 years since Durham elected a Durham resident to the U.S. House. If elected, Durham will be left with another representative with limited connections with Durham voters. How do you address this perceived disconnection?

Foushee: In 1970, my parents were able to purchase a home in Durham in a neighborhood formerly known as Kentington Heights, where Hendrick Auto Mall now stands. They lived in Durham for the remainder of their lives. All my siblings attended Durham Public Schools and my sister has taught in the system. When I was first elected to the General Assembly, I represented a part of Durham County and was a member of the Durham Delegation, serving with Representatives H. M. “Mickey” Michaux, Larry Hall, Paul Luebke and Senators Mike Woodard and Floyd McKissick. I am a former member of the Board of Trustees for Durham Technical Community College. My association with several civic organizations provides me with constant interactions with residents of Durham with which I have built relationships over the years.

Rev-elution: Both national and local conversations surrounding elections to the U.S. House have centered around the need for youth inclusion.  Nida Allam, 28, your opposition in this race, is running on the hope of joining Alexandria Ocasio-Ortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Cori Bush (D-MO) as members of the Squad - progressive and left-wing members of Congress. How do you respond to voters who are told youth is more important than seasoned leadership?

Foushee: I love seeing young people get involved in politics. Obviously, they are the future of this party and our country, and I hope that more of them answer the call and become active in electoral politics. I welcome that. That said, given where we are as a country, and the urgency with which we must act to preserve our democracy, I believe that my 25 years of experience in elected office will serve the people of this district best. With Republican attacks on women, the environment, healthcare, and voting rights, we cannot afford to send someone to Congress that has to learn on the job. I've been in the rooms, I've helped change hearts and minds, I've worked across the aisle, and I've delivered results. We need that in Washington. Anyone can go to Congress and scream and shout for change. I believe I'm the most poised to go to Congress and get things done because I've been here before.

Rev-elution: How do you define progressive? Do you consider yourself a progressive candidate? Why?

Foushee: For me, being a progressive means moving the ball forward, making progress on the things we care about, as Democrats – voting rights, women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigrants’ rights, climate action, racial justice, and economic equality. Being progressive requires us, not just to talk about these values we care about, but to make progress toward achieving them and that means building coalitions, garnering the respect of your friends and adversaries alike, and finding ways to work with people you disagree with to bring them around to your point of view.

Of course, I consider myself a progressive. I have been fighting for our shared progressive values my entire life. On the school board I fought to ensure that Black and Brown students were treated fairly. On the county commission I fought for environmental justice and worked to close a landfill in a low-income, minority neighborhood. In the state senate I fought to eliminate child marriage, to move us toward our clean energy goals, and I stood up to countless Republican attacks on women’s reproductive rights. I grew up in segregated schools, I remember a Chapel Hill that wouldn’t allow me to eat at the lunch counter, I struggled to pay my way through school at UNC, I raised two Black sons and dealt with a world that, at times, treated them differently. I don’t just talk about progressive values, I have lived them, I have fought for them, and I have used my voice and my power to move the ball forward for all of us. I fear that allowing a handful of people with privilege to gatekeep who is and is not “progressive” is dangerous for us as a party and as a country.

Rev-elution: Historically, the American Jewish community plays an important role in advocating for the Civil Rights of Black Americans. Recently, you’ve come under attack for accepting contributions from individuals connected with AIPAC, an organization that advocates for a strong U.S. – Israel relationship. Given the struggles of refugees in Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, and Ukraine, how do you balance support for Israel, as a Black American, given the millions of Palestinians forced to leave their home and blocked from returning by the Israeli government?

Foushee: The Jewish community has long been a friend to the African American community, marching arm-in-arm with Dr. King and other Black leaders during the civil rights movement. While I believe that Israel is a critically important ally – and the only democracy in the region, I unequivocally support a two-state solution in the Middle East.

Rev-elution: How did you think about hiring members of your campaign team, how do you manage members of your team and what does that say about your style of leadership?

Foushee: When considering members of my team, I first considered competence, diversity, and loyalty. Because I have never run a congressional race, I needed a manager with experience in that area. I wanted to ensure legal compliance, inclusivity, and integrity. Paramount in choosing members was my ability to trust them to do the right thing; to believe in my candidacy and to run a clean race based on my record. We have never spoken negatively of our opponents but focused on my experience and my desire to serve. My management style focuses on hiring capable personnel with the necessary skillsets and then letting them do their jobs. I provide directives or suggestions as necessary with the expectation that with proper training and encouragement, people will do their best.

Rev-elution: Who do you see your natural allies to be in Congress? Who are you excited to work with?

Foushee: Representatives Alma Adams and Deborah Ross would be natural allies since I’ve had the opportunity to work with them in the NCGA. I am excited for the opportunity to work with them again along with Reps. James Clyburn, Shontel Brown, Joyce Beatty, Barbara Lee, Lois Frankel, Gregory Meeks, and Hakeem Jeffries, to name a few.

Rev-elution: You are in what is considered a safe seat.  What’s the best use of that type of safety?

Foushee: Although the District Four seat may be safe for a Democrat, it is not – and should not – be safe for any candidate. The best use us to be responsive and responsible to the citizens of the district to hear, consider/assess and address their needs and concerns. In short, be the best REPRESENTATIVE you can be.

 

 

  

Myca Jeter: Academic performance can be increased by more emphasis on mental health services within Durham Public Schools

MYCA JETER, CANDIDATE FOR Durham County School Board, District 4, believes Covid-19 changes the way we should think about public education.

Jeter says current data reveals achievement dropped during Covid-19, regardless of racial identity. The decline in academic performance came after Durham Public School’s witnessed an uptick in achievement district wide prior to Covid-19 restrictions.

“The disparity percentage did not shift, but, overall, they were starting to make incremental gains on moving the dial as it relates to the grade level proficiency scores,” Jeter said during a recent interview with the Rev-elution. “Then COVID hit, and everything really plummeted, so that leads us to the mental health stuff.”

Jeter, a social worker with Alliance Health, says her personal experience, as the parent of an academically gifted middle school daughter, forced her to consider how Covid-19 impacts the education of students.

“The brightest most capable student after COVID is not that anymore,” Jeter said.  “There were a lot of kids that were padding the numbers, holding the numbers down because they were sound, they were stable, they were normal.”

Jeter says her background as a teacher and social worker provides her a unique perspective related to the mental health needs of students, parents and teachers. She taught middle and high school students Spanish before obtaining a Master of Social Work degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She decided to run after watching a school board meeting on television. Members of the staff gave a report on social and emotional numbers after professional development training.

“I was talking back to the TV.  OK they had the training but who was looking at the validity of implementation. How do you know they’re reaching for those new strategies when things are happening in the classroom,” Jeter said?  “What transfer learning processes are in place to ensure that when you get the new information you have intentional time to digest and then consider application and then understand how and when to use it?”

Jeter says she’s running to serve on the school board because of a need for a person like her to ask different questions regarding mental health issues caused by Covid-19.

“When my daughter started at Neal this year, she was 13 years old chronologically, but from a maturity, social and emotional and peer space, she was still a fifth grader,” Jeter said. “Her hormones are raging.  She’s now dealing with anxiety. She's never had that before, and now she's in this building with a whole cohort that have this same unknowing. The same gray space, the same anxiety, fear, whatever.”

Jeter says teachers are also confronted with a variety of unknowns.

“In a classroom with a teacher who is typically used to dealing with the mature 7th graders, they are now confronted with kids who lessen the flow of their classrooms,” Jeter said. “They have been functioning on automatic for maybe 10 years, and now they have to pivot and address this classroom with these young, minded kids.  They didn't wanna teach elementary school.  On purpose, they chose middle, and now they're left in a classroom with kids that won't sit still.”

Jeter says her concerns for the mental health well-being of students is triggered by her life as a parent.

“From what I have seen, not only with my daughter, but her peer group, my nieces and my nephews, is that the standing foundation that our kids had in terms of their own identity, their own self-esteem, their own ability to know for sure what they like what they don't like, it’s no longer a tangible thing for most of them,” Jeter said. “A huge segment of our children is in the throes of and don't have the language to ask for help. Parents are seeing their behavior shift - all the sleeping, all the defiance, all the other stuff. The drug use is crazy.”

Jeter says she’s perplexed by the growing number of youth contemplating suicide. 

“I can listen to my daughter on the phone with her friends, and so many of them are talking about how unwell they are. They're desensitized to the sheer value of what's really happening with them, and I'm worried because as a mom, with the mental health background, I can then pause and say ‘hey get off the phone and let me talk to you for a minute. When your friend tells you this - this is not OK.’”

Jeter worries that many parents and teachers aren’t equipped to meet the mental health challenges facing students. She says Durham Public Schools needs to take some time to dig through what is happening across the district. She says some principals have provided leadership to provide strategies, while others fail to offer support for students with anxiety and depression issues.

“We have some social workers and counselors on staff that could be leveraged, in my opinion, to do some coping skills development training with the kids,” Jeter said. “You don’t have to call it a coping skill development class, but you go in and you model for kids like, let me tell you how you are feeling, say who's a little irritated, who's a little bothered. Let's talk through this strategy of how you bring yourself out of that.  Let me give you some ways to control how you're feeling so that you could be your best and show up as your best person.”

Jeter believes everyone needs mental health support after post-Covid induced trauma

“Those strategies need to be shared with teachers,” Jeter said. “Because I've seen teachers really lose their shit.”

Rev-elution Election Endorsements: Durham County Board of Education

Note: Rev-elution has removed comments regarding Matt Sears, incumbent representing District 3, after reviewing records which fail to verify assumptions made in the previous version. Sears never publicly called for the termination of former Durham County Manager Wendell Davis and made no public comments supporting David Hawk, former principal at Durham School of the Arts.

no elected public official faces more scrutiny than public-school board members. It’s where the public ideologies of parents emerge in a volatile display of emotions. It’s where race, class privilege and petty demands of parents converge to pit the rich against the lack of resources of others.

Rev-elution applied a different type of matrix in determining who to endorse for the five seats on the board of education. We considered each candidates’ campaign pitch. We also counted the level and nature of involvement with Black and Brown parents and students. Not just Black, and not just Brown.

 

Impact of the Better Board, Better Schools slate of candidates

The surfacing of Better Board, Better Schools, a group of concerned parents and grandparents, in promoting a slate of candidates is significant. It’s not clear if the group is motivated by political party ties. What is clear is a budding population of parents unsatisfied with student academic performance in Durham Public Schools.

“Resources are being allocated to various initiatives while our students are being left behind academically,” the group states on their website. “Our children deserve better.”

Chris Burns, the group’s candidate representing District 2, touts homeschooling, The Hill Center and Cresset Christian Academy, a private faith-based school, as options used for his children.

Rev-elution extends no endorsements for members of the Better Board, Better Schools slate; however, acknowledges the burden felt by parents who feel DPS fails in satisfying the educational needs of their children.

“Our slate will bring a laser-like focus on increasing reading literacy, mathematical achievement, and critical thinking skills,” their websites states. “We want to unleash the creativity of teaching professionals, allowing them to impact in ways that are effective and impactful.”

Curtis Hrischuk (District 1), Gayathri Rajaraman (District 3), Joetta MacMiller (Consolidated District B) and Valarie Jarvis (District 4) are a slate of candidates representing parents likely to consider alternative methods to educate their children. School board members are encouraged to listen. 

 

District 1

Rev-elution endorses Emily Chavez based on her more than 15 years of experience as a professional development facilitator, education administrator and organizational change agent.

A former English teacher, her work as project director of the DREAM Project at the University of North Carolina, director of equity and justice, associate director at the Center for Multicultural Affairs both at Duke and outreach program coordinator of the UNC-Duke Consortium of Latin American & Caribbean Studies, offers the perfect fit in a school system with an expanding Brown population.

Jasper Fleming presents a platform centering teacher pay, parent engagement and Covid-19 safety protocol. Rev-elution viewed his platform, and lack of experience within Black and Brown spaces, both limited and nonconsequential in addressing critical issues.

 

District 2

District 2 presents a decision between two viable candidates. Bertina Umstead serves as the current chair of the Durham Board of Education. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she studied Middle Grade Education with a concentration in Language Arts & Social Studies before taking a job with Student U, a college access program in Durham.

Umstead, and members of the current board, advocates for additional school counselors, increased access to mental health support and programming that supports Black and Brown boys.

Rev-elution endorses Donald Hughes based on a set of unusual and welcoming variables. Hughes is nurtured within a culture of advocacy and activism. He began service as a speaker at city council and school board meetings before entering high school. Hughes knows Durham. He’s a graduate of Hillside High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master’s degree in public administration from North Carolina Central University.

Hughes is a rarity in Durham politics, a Durham born and raised Black man potentially being elected for local office. He’s a strong advocate of Durham pride. He has witnessed, firsthand, the rise and fall of what Durham represented prior to gentrification. He remembers the madness related to school merger, disputes to fund magnet schools and conflicts at Hillside High School leading to the dismissal of a vastly popular principal.

Hughes is part of the history of Durham’s public education system. He’s connected to the population most impacted by economic, education and health disparities. Hughes can do more than talk about what troubles Durham, he’s engaged. He does more than talk about policy in a platform statement. He’s about that life.

 

District 3

This is complicated. Matt Sears, the incumbent in District 3, hasn’t done enough to warrant an endorsement from Rev-elution.

Gayathri Rajaraman, the only opposition in District 3, is an unknown. Her connection as a member of the Better Board, Better School slate offers a clue. The problem is with the clue. It feels like a hostile Republican Party takeover of a welcoming and progressive school system.

Rev-elution endorses no one for District 3.

 

District 4

Natalie Beyer played tag team with Matt Sears in a campaign against Wendell Davis. She challenged the credibility of positions affirming the strength of Durham’s AAA rating. The call for accountability was matched by her call for Davis’ job. Fueled by the support of People’s Alliance, Beyers and Sears won the battle. Will Durham voters remember rhetoric condemning Davis for being conservative – yes, some called him a Republican – while addressing his compensation – too much for a Black man. Stop me. It's too soon.

Rev-elution endorses Myca Jeter based on her more than 20 years of working with children and families as a social worker. A graduate of North Carolina Central University, Jeter taught Spanish at Neal Middle School and Hillside High School before becoming a mental health professional.

An authentic and much needed breath of fresh air.

 

Consolidate District B

Few in Durham manifest the anti-Wendell Davis agenda more than Millicent Rogers.

“With an annual salary of more than $200,00, the contract provides the manager with numerous perks, including seven weeks of vacation a year, term life insurance, and a hefty monthly vehicle allowance,” a statement released by People’s Alliance Board of Directors on March 18, 2021, states. Rogers served as co-president of the group.

The ache of feeling Black men don’t deserve to be paid still resonates. The sidenote involves the contract for the newly appointed county manager. It’s more than Davis’ contract prior when he was booted out of his position. Rogers and members of People’s Alliance avoided conversations related to her compensation package.

Rogers’ involvement as a key organizer in efforts to not approve the renewal of Davis’ contract is critical among residents desiring more than a blank check to fund public education. Rogers, and members of the People’s Alliance Board of Directors, set a political philosophy questioning the credibility of conservative fiscal management. What pressures will Rogers, Beyer and Sears place on Kimberly Sowell, the newly appointed Durham County Manager.

Rev-elution endorses Frederick Xavier Ravin III. Ravin was appointed by school board members on Aug 27, 2020, to fill the vacancy after the resignation of Xavier Carson. A graduate of Southern Durham High School, he earned a degree in marketing from North Carolina A&T State University, a degree in finance from North Carolina Central University and a master’s degree in strategic information management and MBA from North Carolina Central University.

He's smart, likeable and a meticulous critical thinker. He offers vision and an unwillingness to be bound by the selfish whims of any given political action committee.

 

 

Rev-elution Election Endorsements: State General Assembly & Judicial Seats

 endorsements for the north carolina state senate and house of representative seats are easy. Stick with the Democratic Party Incumbents.

The group representing Durham has done a good job in fighting a group of narrow-minded Republican’s intent on maintaining their control. It’s hard for Democrats over in the North Carolina General Assembly.

Rev-elution endorses Natalie Murdock (Senate District 20), Mike Woodard (Senate District 22), Ray Jeffers (House District 002), Vernetta Alston (House District 029), Marcia Morey (House District 030) and Zack Hawkins (House District 031).

The judicial seats are often the most difficult for voters to decide, with many approaching it with either a coin toss or a recommendation from a close friend. The law is the law, but recent court rulings verify the merit in taking these votes seriously.

Rev-elution endorses Lucy Inman for NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 03 and Sam J. Ervin IV for NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 05.

The endorsement for NC Court of Appeals Seat 08 goes to North Carolina Central University Law School graduate Carolyn Thompson.  NC Court of Appeals Seat 09 goes to Sanford, NC Democrat Brad Salmon. Rev-elution endorses Gale Murray Adams, a North Carolina Central University Law School graduate, for NC Court of Appeals Seat 10 and Darren Jackson, appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2020, to continue his service as judge on NC Court of Appeals Seat 11.

Local Judicial Seats

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it, is the verdict regarding Durham judge seats. Rev-elution endorses Brian C. Wilks as Superior Court Judge in Judicial District 14B. Governor Roy Cooper appointed Wilks to fill the vacant seat formerly held by James E. Hardin on Aug 5, 2021.

Feedback from people working at the courthouse is extremely favorable in support of Dave Hall to continue as NC District Court Judge District 14 Seat 01. Rev-elution endorses Doretta Walker, who assumed office on January 3, 2011, for re-election for District Court Judge District 14 Seat 02, Dorothy Harrison Mitchell, appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper on Dec 6, 2021, for District Court Judge District Court 14 Seat 04 and Clayton Jones to serve a second term as District Court Judge Court Seat 05. Rev-elution endorses Amanda L. Maris for re-election as District Court Judge Court 06 Seat.

Rev-elution endorses Pat Evans, who assumed office on January 3, 2011, for a final term as Judge District 14 Seat 03. Evans, who ages out as a judge at the end of her term if re-elected, has been instrumental in leading conversations aimed at fostering alliances to curtail gang-related violence in Durham.

Satana Deberry was elected District Attorney by voters in 2018 during a national wave of interest to reform the criminal justice system. Rev-elution endorses Deberry because of her ongoing commitment in reducing unnecessary court involvement and incarceration when safety is not at risk. Rev-elution believes Durham County is leading a national conversation involving the reform of the criminal legal system, making Deberry’s re-election critical in maintaining that focus.

Jonathon Wilson, 38, challenger in the District Attorney race, is the type of candidate Rev-elution hopes to see in future elections for public office.

It’s time to make a change in the office of Durham County Clerk of Superior Court. Archie Smith III assumed office in 2002. Things may not be broken, but it feels like things have been stuck.

Rev-elution endorses Aminah Thompson for Durham County Clerk of Superior Court due to her forward-thinking approach to the office. She wants to utilize metrics that measure court performance, create a community-based law library, establish night courts and remote settings to alleviate barriers to attending court.

Rev-elution endorses Clarence Birkhead for a second term as Durham County Sheriff. His bold and uncompromising commitment to not cooperate with ICE, to not honor ICE detainers, to not participate in ICE roundups and checkpoints for immigration purposes are critical to citizens in Durham.

up next: durham county board of education

 

Rev-elution Election Endorsements: U.S. Senate and House of Representatives

primary and election early voting begins in Durham on April 28. It’s a quick turnaround after state lawmakers altered a redistricting plan. 

Over the next three days, Rev-elution offers endorsements for every office on the Durham County ballot. This time-consuming process takes into consideration variables reflective of the interest to Durham’s Black and Brown citizens.

Today, United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.

United States Senate

Eleven Democrats filed to replace Richard Burr who steps down after 18 years in the Senate. In addition, 14 Republicans and one Libertarian join the race.

The Republican Party

This is a three-person race between former N.C Governor Pat McCrory, U.S. Congressman Ted Budd and former U.S. Congressman Mark Walker.

Budd, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, represents North Carolina’s 13^th District which includes Rowan County in the Charlotte metro area. His campaign focuses on immigration, religious liberty and the economy.

Walker represented North Carolina’s 6^th U.S. House District from 2015-2021. The district includes the Triad cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point. A former pastor, Walker considered challenging Senator Thom Tillis in the 2020 primary, but backed out after Trump endorsed Tillis.

Recent opinion polls have Tillis leading with 29 percent of supporters compared to 20 percent for Budd and 11 percent for Walker.

Rev-elution offers no endorsement in the Republican Party Primary

The Democratic Party

The Democratic Party Primary is a less competitive race between Cheri Beasley, former chief justice of the NC Supreme Court, Tobias LaGrone, a small business owner, pastor and counselor and Beaufort, NC Mayor Rett Newton.

Beasley narrowly lost her race to remain on the supreme court to Republican Paul Newby in 2020. She was appointed to serve on the bench by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in 2019.

LaGrone, who identifies as a conservative, is a pro-life Democrat. His platform focuses on access to tech data, transparency in hiring, increasing tax credits for childcare and the establishment of a national law enforcement malpractice registry.

Newton, a retired Air Force officer, told the News & Observer he was inspired to run for Senate after witnessing the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Rev-elution endorses Cheri Beasley based on her background and platform aimed at reforming America’s criminal justice system, emphasis on fixing America’s immigration system and improving housing affordability.

united states house of representative's district #4

The race to fill the seat held by Congressman David Price beginning in 1987-1995 and again in 1997 until his pending retirement at the end of 2022, is packed with a diverse group of contenders.

Nida Allam, a member of the Durham Board of County Commissioners, entered the race shortly after Price announced his retirement. Allam, the first Muslim woman ever elected to public office in North Carolina, is the daughter of Indian and Pakistani immigrants. Born in Ottawa, Canada, she was raised in Wake County and graduated from North Carolina State University.

She supports the Green New Deal and promotes becoming a member of “The Squad” - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ihan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) – four women of color elected during the 2018 midterm elections.

She enters the race with a considerable war chest built from support outside of Durham. Allam, 28, has served as a member of the board of commissioners for less than two years. Her tenure is marked with heavy disapproval from Black leaders due to her lack of support for former Durham County Manager Wendell Davis. Allam cast a vote not to renew Davis’ contract after members of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People (DCABP) assumed a promise that she would support renewing the contract.

Valerie Foushee represents Chatham and Orange Counties as a member of the state senate. She began her public service as a member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board in 1997. She is the first Black woman elected to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, leaving to serve in the NC House of Representatives and later joining the NC Senate.

Foushee is a primary Senate Sponsor, with Mike Woodard (D-Durham), of SB 646, the Marijuana Justice and Reinvestment Act. The bill sets a series of definitions related to cannabis, establishes the Office of Social Equity and several funds within the Department of Public Safety, authorizes the personal use and possession of cannabis for persons 21 years of age or older and provides protection for patients and caregivers related to the possession or purchase of cannabis for medical use.

Foushee supports a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, ending privatized prisons and supports increased regulation and funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and increased investments into green transit. Passage of the Green New Deal is one of her top priorities.

Richard Watkins entered the race after shifting interest in running for U.S. Senate. He earned his Ph. D from the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill in Microbiology and Immunology with a specialty in Virology.

Watkins received 6.5 percent of votes (4,391) in the 2018 congressional primary election. Price received 77.1 percent of votes followed by Michelle Cotton Laws with 16.4 percent of Democratic Party votes.

American Idol singer Clay Aikens is giving it another shot after losing to Republican Party incumbent Renee Ellmers in the 2014 general election for US. House of Representative in North Carolina’s 2^nd congressional district.

Stephen Valentine, director of North Carolina University’s Veteran Law Clinic, is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, receiving the Bronze Star Medal for service in Iraq.

Rev-elution has no endorsement in the Republican Party Primary

Rev-elution endorses Valerie Foushee due to her experience as a member of the board of education, board of county commissioners, state House of Representatives and service as a state senator. Rev-elution is concerned regarding Foushee’s lack of attention to the voters in Durham County.

next up: state and local judicial seats

coming soon: Durham Rev-elution. Support our expansion by making a contribution at Cash App: $cmizzou

 

 

Conflict over Durham youth detention center raises conflicting answers: New questions, please

 Rev-elution is an independent, local, Black-owned, and Black focused news outlet. It is entirely sustained by the contributions of readers. Please support by contributing at: Cash App, $CMizzou, or Venmo, @Carl-Kenney-1.

COMMENTARY: Determining the right answer begins with asking the right question.

What games do young people play when there’s no place to go?

The answer is horrifying. Some play bang, bang at The Streets at Southpoint and other places in Durham.

The follow-up question is even more dismaying. What do we do with youth when we’re fed up with their play?

Lock them up and throw away the keys. Wrong answer.

Recent skirmishes at Durham’s lavish mall have triggered the panic button among residents preparing for Christmas shopping. On December 8, one person was assaulted during a robbery outside a store at the mall.  This follows an incident on Black Friday that has residents increasing the rate of head scratching aimed at making sense of the madness. Three people were wounded, and three others were injured. The shooting victims include a 10-year-old, injured by a ricocheting bullet.

Criminals are getting younger. Is that true? What happens when children get caught in playing deadly games? Do we lock them up? Do we send them away? Do we give them another chance? How many?

What about their victims?

Questions. Questions. Questions.

One more question. What happens when clashing answers respond to a different question?

The answer – a ball of confusion.

On Monday, members of the Durham Board of County Commissioners will vote on the construction of a new and expanded $30 million youth detention center with space to house 60 juveniles.

County officials say the plan follows a court order to create an alternative to separate juveniles and adults in the Durham County jail. The order was part of the settlement in a civil lawsuit filed by Julia Graves after the death of her 17-year-old daughter, Uniece Gleanae Fennell, who was found hanging by County detention officers at the County detention center. Fennell was a minor at the time of her death. She occupied more than a year in jail after being charged in a drive-by shooting.

What do we learn from Fennell’s death?

The answer, according to County officials, is to build a separate place for juveniles facing felonies. The alternative is to locate places outside the county. It’s not the perfect answer, but is there a more valid option?

Members of Durham Beyond Police (DBP) have a different answer. No more jails. No more prisons. No more police. Invest all the money in prevention. All of it.

DBP’s answer addresses what to do before a juvenile has a gun in their hand. Another imperfect answer.

The varied answers reflect responses to different, albeit connected, questions.

DBP answer, “what games do young people play when there’s no place to go?”

County officials answer, “what do we do with youth when we’re fed up with their play?”

DBP offers the correct answer. We need wraparound services to support troubled youth and their parents.

County officials get it right. We need an alternative to the outdated youth detention center and to sending juveniles to another county.

One answer stops the problem before it happens. The other addresses what to do after things are out of control.

The answer may require a different set of questions.

It is true. The criminal justice system sucks. The school to prison pipeline is a real “thing”. It is true, more money needs to be invested in mental health options.

It is true. Juveniles are committing violent crimes. We can’t treat them like adults, but…but, what’s the answer?

It may help to accept the frailty of most of the answers. They fit the bottomless agendas of policy makers stuck on the assumptions of their campaign speeches and mission statements. When it becomes more critical to prove the merits of their claims, the answer consumes the breath of youth clinging to life.

This is not a dissertation or master’s thesis. This is not a problem to be solved with the victor winning the great prize - the prize of elected office. The lives of Black and Brown youth transcend the movement of pieces on a chess board. No, this is not a game.

We hear your answer.

Let’s try a different question.

What can we do to support youth caught up in a world of trouble after having no place to play?

Another imperfect question.

The right answer is on both sides of the table.

Your move.

 

Pioneers Church is treading on holy ground

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commentary – Spaces are made sacred by virtue of the people who gather to make it home. These welcoming and affirming places are more than temples where lessons about faith are taught to separate wolves from lambs.

It matters when a congregation is planted on sacred ground.

Close to 6,500 people have signed a petition to prevent Pioneers Church from opening its doors in the area made holy when residents Married Durham.

Pioneers Durham is a retail, coffee, and co-working space in the Hutchings Auto Supply Building located at 402 W. Geer Street. The revenue from Pioneers Durham will be used to fund Pioneers Church, a new congregation led by Sherei Lopez-Jackson and her partner Daniel Jackson.

The petition chides Lopez-Jackson for supporting the position of the United Methodist Church to withhold ordination from LGBTQ+ persons and supporting her denominations opposition of same sex relationships.

“Under the limits of my ordinations (united Methodist Church) and my own convictions, I am not permitted to marry people within the LGBTQ+ community,” Lopez-Jackson said in response to her critics.

More than 2,000 people took vows on March 19, 2011, during Marry Durham

“Today, we marry each other. Beyond race, beyond gender, beyond class, beyond sexual orientation, beyond religion and all other declarations,” are part of the vows I wrote binding residents to each other with a deeper commitment to protect our mutual interest.

Residents of Durham evoked the spirit of their vows when Republican State Senator Peter Brunstetter introduced Senate Bill 514, Amendment One, to the North Carolina General Assembly in September 2011.

Not in the Bull City.

Durham responded with a resounding hell to the no when the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act (HB2) took effect on March 23, 2016. HB2 required people to use the bathroom corresponding to their biological sex as the designation appearing on an individual’s birth certificate.

Not in the Bull City.

“We are married by our thoughts,” that’s what I said that day. “We are married by a love made deeper by the strength of the others in our community. We are more than the labels others create to separate and define. We are married to the truth of universal claims. We are more powerful because of every you in our city.”

More than 2,000 people said yes to that. We meant every word. We’ve proven it by our enduring love for every person who lives in the Bull City – beyond race, beyond religion, beyond gender, and, yes, beyond sexual orientation.

I meant every word I spoke that day. We all meant it.

We prove it by how we vote. We don’t always agree, but the vows still matter. They have shaped how we think about Durham. Ten years later, we continue to be impacted by the day we Married Durham.

It happened in the shadow of Pioneers Church.

There are hundred of congregations in Durham. Many endorse the position of Pioneers Church. They don’t accept the ordination of LGBTQ+ persons. They refuse to marry same sex couples. Durham is a community with diverse theological viewpoints.

Not all ministers think like me.

Granted, but it matters that I officiated a wedding with vows aimed at defining the heart of Durham.

“I promise to promote the strengths of the city I love, rather than to demean and destroy the reputation when I disagree with the actions of others I vow to love,” I said that. I meant that. I still do.

Churches are being planted across the city. These gentrifying churches are planted to claim territory for their hipper version of Jesus. They mingle a chic marketing strategy with a Bibicalist bent. They bring a new swag to a white evangelical theological perspective under the guise of a more modern, friendlier version of Jesus.

They occupy territory like the Crusaders intent on winning souls to their homophobic white Jesus. They offer coffee and pastries with space for millennial business owners while rejecting the humanity of men and women in search of safe spaces to gather in peace.

We honor a moment in time where hands were held, and the collective dreams of residents mingled to pioneer a new movement. Statements were made about what we desire to be in a city made holy by a love transcendent of all our difference.

Geer Street is holy ground.

It’s the place where we said “I do” to what it means to be a community committed to loving and embracing each other beyond differences.

Not in the Bull City.

"State of Urgency": A play reflecting the perspective of Hillside High School Drama Department students

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Students in the Hillside high school Drama Department gathered to discuss what they have seen. What they’ve heard was followed by the emotions of what they feel. The thoughts and feelings in the room were translated into a play.

The name “State of Urgency” is the best way to reflect the sentiments of young people who have witnessed people their age die too soon. They’re witnessing a new wave of gun violence in streets once known as their playgrounds. They’ve grown up in the shadow of white supremacy recast with an alt-right political agenda.

They’ve seen too much. When will it stop? Does anyone care?

The timing couldn’t be better. The outcry following the murder of Jamal McClinton Coltrane, 31, intensified conversations regarding fighting gun violence. Coltrane was involved in “Bikes Up, Guns Down,” a group dedicated to derailing gun violence with dirt bikes.

Coltrane was the 39^th person to die from gun violence in 2021.

Durham is faced with a “State of Urgency.”

Wendell Tabb, the award-winning Performing and Visual Arts Director of Theatre at Hillside High School, says the play captures the thoughts and emotions of the young people in his drama program.

“With so much violence and unrest going on in the world, it was easy for me to consider a show that would address such social justice issues as Gun Violence, Police Brutality, Racism, Discrimination and Poverty to name a few. I wanted to do my part as a change agent. My commitment to our school and community led me to create an original play to address these social issues,” Tabb said.  “I am proud of the voices that Hillside students have given to these topics that are having a major impact on their lives daily.”

This is Hillside Drama Department’s first major stage production since the pandemic upended their season of shows in March 2020. “State of Urgency” will run Friday, November 12^th at 7:15 p.m., Saturday, November 13^th at 3:15 p.m. and 7”15 p.m., and Sunday, November 14^th at 3:15 p.m. All tickets can be purchased online at: www.seatyourself.biz/hillside.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to not only entertain, but to inform and educate our community on contemporary issues plaguing our society, specifically our youth," William Logan, principal at Hillside High School, said. "This is a great chance for our students to make a difference in the lives of their peers."

Tabb is calling for “all hands on deck” with a call to end gun violence. Organizations committed to change have booths at the play. It’s a collective exhale of enough is enough.

 Every great movement in American history began with a vision from young people. They often see the world with a perspective hidden by people too old to recognize the brewing chaos hindering dreams.

It’s a “State of Urgency”.

All hands on deck.

Who will Durham Black voters support to replace U.S. Congressman David Price?

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The lineup of potential candidates to replace U.S. Congressman David Price feels like a pileup on Highway 40 during rush hour traffic. The clash between Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham is a reminder of the impact of road rage when too many people are headed in the same direction.

Voters are advised to buckle up while doing their best to avoid reckless drivers.

Rumors of Price’s retirement have circulated for years. Candidates have waited, patiently, for the announcement. State Senator Wiley Nickel, 45, announced his campaign with the news of a whopping $253,000 raised within hours of Price’s press conference. He was ready to go before hearing “ready, set, go.”

Nickel was elected to represent the 16^th state senate district in 2018. He was groomed as part of Vice President Al Gore’s team from 1996 to 2001 and worked as a member of Barack Obama’s White House national advance staff from 2008 until 2012.

Nida Allam, 27, is first Muslim American woman elected to political office in North Carolina. She was sworn in as a member of the Durham Board of County Commissioners on December 7, 2020. With less than one year of service as an elected official, Allam announced her candidacy for congress on Monday, November 8.

Allam served as the Political Director in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and New York for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and as an organizing director for Justice Cheri Beasley’s campaign for the North Carolina Supreme Court.

State Senator Valerie Foushee, 65, joined the legislature in 2012. She represented district 50 (Orange and Durham) in the state house before becoming a State Senator after Ellie Kinnaird retirement from District 23. She has deep roots in Orange County politics, having served on the Board of Education for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School from 1997 to 2008 and the Orange County Board of County Commissioner from 2008-2010.

Floyd McKissick, Jr, 68, is known both for his name and work as a longtime Durham politician. He is the namesake of his father, the former leader of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and founder of Soul City in Warren County, NC. After serving on the Durham City Council from 1993 to 2001, McKissick, Jr. was selected by the Durham Democratic Party to fill the vacancy in the district 20 senate seat after the death of Jeanne Lucas. McKissick was the chairman of the Durham County Democratic Party, which raised questions related to conflict of interest in the selection process.

On March 17, 2004, he was disciplined by the NC State Bar for professional misconduct involving a conflict of interest. The bar determined that McKissick inappropriately represented both sides in a 2000 dispute involving the estate of an elderly man.

McKissick was appointed to the North Carolina Utilities Commission by Governor Roy Cooper for a term expiring on June 30, 2025.

Mike Woodard, 62, has served in the North Carolina Senate since 2013. Before being elected to the State Senate, Woodward was a member of the Durham City Council from 2005 to 2013. He’s also an administrator at Duke University and the Duke University Health System.

Price was first elected to Congress in 1986. He was reelected for three terms before losing in 1994 to former Raleigh police chief Fred Heineman by a margin of less than 1%. In 1996, Price defeated Heineman in a rematch. Price has maintained control of the district for 33 years.

Key among Durham Black voters is the role of Tracy Lovett, Price’s longtime district liaison. Lovett is the daughter of Willie C. Lovett, the former chair of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People and member of the North Carolina Democratic Party Executive Committee. Before his death in 1992, Lovett won the primary to represent Durham in the State House Representatives. As a District Liason, Lovett has sustained relationships with Black Durham residents making it easier to embrace Price, a congressman with no natural ties to Durham.  

Wiley’s strength is in Wake County, where he has garnered several high-level endorsements. Foushee, a Black woman, is attractive to Durham’s Black community, but her limited ties to Durham is a challenge before the primary.

McKissick is a known entity with deep ties to the Black community. Some fear his past issues regarding conflict of interest will be used against him in a head-to-head race against a Republican candidate. McKissick, like all Durham based state politicians, has never been challenged by a Republican.

Woodward is candidate with longevity of service. Recently, he fought proposals to make it illegal to teach Black history in public schools. He knows Durham culture and the issues that resonate with residents.

Black voters desire a Black representative. Black women desire a Black woman.

In the race to Congress, Durham Black voters’ matter.

 

 

 

 

Can Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam get elected to Congress despite having a Black people problem?

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COMMENTARY – Few people are surprised by Nida Allam’s announcement that she’s running for U.S. Congress. It’s been expected before she was elected to serve on the Durham Board of County Commissioners just over a year ago. I repeat, just over a year ago.

Durham was a step to the next step. Win one to get one. In this case, a small fish in a small pond in hope of becoming a big fish in the ocean.

Some people say it’s too soon. She hasn’t served long enough. Others say she hasn’t done enough. She hasn’t paid her dues. The Democratic Party elite are interested in a candidate who has a proven track record. It’s not cool to step in front of the line.

That’s true, but there is a more pressing question when it comes to Allam’s candidacy.

Allam, the first Muslim American woman to be elected to office in North Carolina, has a Black people problem.

Members of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People claim Allam made a promise not to vote to terminate former Durham County Manager Wendell Davis. If true, she broke her promise. More troubling is her lack of sensitivity after the vote was made.

After a series of reports on Rev-elution, regarding discontent among Black residents, Allam supported the agenda set by Wendy Jacobs, the former chair of the board.

When Durham County employees requested a meeting with members of the board to discuss concerns after Davis’ dismissal, Allam remained silent. When community leaders pressed the board to follow the recommendations of both the county/city appointed Racial Equity Task Force and James E. Coleman, the attorney hired by the county to investigate racial bias and unfair treatment in county government, Allam failed to force accountability.

On March 8, Allam blocked the recommendation of County Attorney Lowell Siler to secure the services of The Robert Bobb Group to offer racial equity training. Allam sided with other commissioners to pursue training after county staff brought two more training proposals to review. Board Chair Brenda Howerton was the only member of the commission to oppose the plan.

Allam followed the argument stated on social media by members of People’s Alliance and The Durham Association of Educators. They noted Robert Bobb’s past as a consultant in Detroit, MI. Some Black residents watching the virtual commissioners meeting noted disdain in addressing Bobb and Siler. Both men are Black.

On March 22, The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People released a statement requesting commissioners apologize for the “blatant disrespect shown” at the meeting.

“The community witnessed first-hand how certain county commissioners treat Black County staff and a Black consultant seeking to provide much needed, individualized services,” the letter read.

Allam, Jacobs and Heidi Carter released statements refuting charges of disrespect. The three commissioners stated their reluctance to employ the services of The Robert Bobb Group was rooted in favoring procurement practices that seek multiple bids.

Allam agreed with the assessment of People’s Alliance, the mostly white Durham based political action committee, that Davis’s contract should not be renewed because he’s too moderate and is paid too much.

Black residents haven’t forgotten Allam’s role in the unravelling of race relations in Durham.  

It’s too soon. She can’t be trusted to listen to Black voters. She failed to build significant relationships with the people on the other side of the decision to oust the former County Manager.

Can Allam win without the support of Black voters? A clue comes from Twitter.

A shout out from Keith Allison followed by a tweet from Ihan Omar. If Allam has her way, the race for Congress will not be determined by local Black voters. It will be won by the support of the national media and progressive politicians desirous of an addition to The Squad - joining Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Ihan Omar (D-MN), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

I advise slowing your roll before jumping into the ocean. The small fish in Durham desire being heard and respected before giving you a lift.