Building Bridges of Hope

My story as an organizer begins at eight years old, when I rallied friends on my block to raise money for 9/11 first responders. We gave the donation to the United Way’s campaign, a small act that sparked a lifelong pattern: when there is a need, I move forward with action.

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I grew up in Battle Creek, in Southwest Michigan, about 30 miles east of Kalamazoo. The region that raised me grounded me in the importance of place and community power. As a youth, I sat through city commission meetings, volunteered, served on student council, and participated in the NAACP Black History Month Quiz Bowl. Those experiences gave me a deep understanding of how people come together to make change and how community life is always tied to both its history and its future.

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In college, I carried that commitment forward. At Bryn Mawr, I co-chaired public relations for the founding student chapter of the NAACP. I also served as Outreach and Education Chair for SEPTA’s Youth Advisory Council, coordinating with over 60 universities across Philadelphia to help new students learn how to use public transit. Both Bryn Mawr and the University of Pennsylvania emphasized praxis, the connection between theory and practice. I graduated from Penn in 2016 with a Master of City Planning in Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure, prepared to link vision with results that show up in people’s daily lives.

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After graduate school, I chose to return home to the region that raised me. That decision led to my election as the youngest trustee on the Battle Creek Public Schools Board of Education. There I chaired the successful passage of the $44.8 million bond in 2021, a bond that had failed at the ballot just six months earlier. Through years of relational organizing, I helped restore trust and mobilize the community to invest in its schools again.

 

Over the past decade, I have built a career in public service and planning across Southwest Michigan. Most recently, I served as Neighborhood Activator for the City of Kalamazoo. In that role, I reinvigorated a stalled approach to neighborhood partnership. Project implementation grew from 2 to 3 projects a year to more than 60. I attended and hosted over 150 community events annually and wrote the most recent Stuart and Westwood neighborhood plans. Perhaps most importantly, I initiated and facilitated cross-departmental collaboration inside City Hall, addressing residents’ concerns directly and repairing trust with neighborhoods that had once severed ties with the city.

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At my core, I am a connector. My strength is turning breakdowns into breakthroughs, transforming doubt into momentum, and helping government serve people the way it should, with care. Leaving my city position to run for Kalamazoo City Commission has given me the opportunity to answer the community’s call to lead and to make a difference at the policy level.

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This campaign is about carrying that work forward once again, building a City Hall that is responsive, accessible, and powered by the people.