Pride, Power, and public service
June holds deep meaning for me. It marks both Pride Month, celebrating LGBTQ+ lives, and Juneteenth, honoring the liberation of Black people from slavery in 1865. These observances are personal, but for much of my life, they felt like opposing truths. As a proud Black LGBTQ+ man, I was often made to feel I could only express one identity at a time.
In some Black spaces, I was told to hide who I loved. In some LGBTQ+ spaces, my Blackness, and the economic, social, and cultural weight it carries, was often overlooked or dismissed. I spent years compartmentalizing myself, never seeing a full reflection of who I was in the world around me.
That changed last year during a conversation with someone who shared a similar journey. He left me with a challenge I carry to this day: “How will you reclaim the narrative and maybe even rewrite it so that others can see themselves in it?”
That question transformed me. It reminded me of Audre Lorde’s words: “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.”
That truth is echoed in the people we serve; neighbors who can’t always be placed in neat boxes, whose lives are shaped by overlapping identities, histories, and hardships.
Three parts of who I am—my race, my sexual orientation, and my faith—have often been seen as incompatible. But I now know they don’t cancel each other out; they enrich one another.
Since choosing to show up as my full self, I’ve become more open, more curious, and more willing to sit with complexity. That mindset matters in public service.
When I’m elected, I won’t just lead by the book. I’ll lead by listening deeply to the lived experiences of those who are too often written off. I’ll work to rewrite the narrative of who the government is for and ensure overlooked communities have a voice in shaping the policies that impact them—whether we’re talking about economic opportunity, affordable housing, environmental justice, safety, or restoring trust in city leadership.
Intersectionality isn’t just a personal truth, it’s a public responsibility. It reminds us that challenges aren’t black and white, and solutions can’t be either. I will lead with empathy, ask better questions, and create space for real answers that reflect the full diversity of our district.
To anyone struggling to embrace who you are because of how you look, who you love, or what you believe, know this: your existence is an act of power. Stay. Speak up. Someone needs your story to find the courage to keep going.
