(BALTIMORE – November 14, 2022) – I am so grateful to be one of the first elected members to the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners! I am proud that my neighbors across Baltimore chose me as their advocate on the school board. As a mom of a future Baltimore City Public School Student, I am going to work hard for our families.
Over a year ago, I applied for a vacancy on the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners. I applied because I did not hear board members raising issues I deeply understand. I was not selected to interview and was told it was competitive. I know people like me do not stack up as “competitive” against people who have thrived in academia. People with credentials will always be considered worthy of seats on school boards.
I decided to run because I have a valuable perspective that cannot be summed up in a 2-minute speaking time once a month during board meetings. People like me are valuable and needed to craft better policies.
I understand how difficult it is to overcome adult obstacles if you do not graduate prepared for the world. I barely graduated from high school with a cumulative 1.4 GPA. It took me almost 20 years to get a college degree after failing out of several colleges. As someone who has learning differences and has experienced childhood trauma, I know that our kids cannot participate in the classroom without these needs being addressed.
My first and most valuable endorsement came from people in the community and my family. They know my heart and how I show up as an advocate. I am unapologetically representing the diverse group of people in this city. Their needs are complex, and they deserve to be heard. I will always listen and hold space for you all. I want my son and all our kids to receive the best education right here, in this city that I love.
I want our families to stay in Baltimore instead of losing neighbors to other jurisdictions, or even other neighborhoods, so their kids can get a better education. I am hyper-focused on advocating for a truly inclusive education system.
Thank you to every single person who contributed to the success of this campaign! Big thank you to all the organizations and communities that made their meeting inclusive by providing childcare or making them kid friendly!
I need to send the BIGGEST thank you to my running mate, Salimah Jasani for Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners for already teaching me so much and truly seeing me as valuable. Thank you to our friend/campaign manager Ralikh Hayes who, as a Poly alum, has been fighting for elected seats since he was a student! Thank you to the amazing student organizers from the Baltimore Student Union! You all are incredible! Thank you to Baltimore Teachers Union, AFT-Maryland, Metro-Baltimore AFL-CIO, and all the other unions who contacted their members on our behalf! #UnionStrong
Congratulations to Kwame Kenyatta-Bey for also being elected! Thank you to Elect April Curley for bringing your energy and valuable perspective to this race. To all the candidates that I started this race, I want you to know I am a partner. Together we can make sure the issues we ran on and the communities we represented have their needs met.
Thank you to every student, family, organizing group, all the people who I have met through other grassroots campaigns especially Franca Muller Paz and Mckayla Wilkes, current Baltimore elected officials, community members, mutual aid friends, and organizations that endorsed and/or supported this campaign. #MyBmore
