Durham for All

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'Durham for All launched in early 2016, but before then the founding team engaged in different issue-based organizing across Durham over the years. In 2014 and 2015, members of the founding team began experimenting with building political power through local elections, and "we helped win young, progressive, people of color into local offices".

Durham For All is made up of a four-person Coordinating Team to bottom-line daily operations and a larger Campaign Team that is leading our 10K Strong Campaign! Core leadership is primary people of color, and our entire team is a multiracial, cross-class alliance of Durham organizers and activists with a range of skill-sets and progressive movement experience.

Durham For All is an independent political organization, and a 501(c)(4).[1]

Seed the Vote/2022 Midterms

Axccording to Larry Hendel:

When Seed the Vote formed in 2019, it was an experiment. No plans were made to maintain the organization after the presidential election. But last year they decided to keep the organization going at least through the midterms. Over the last year when the punditocracy was pronouncing that Democrats were destined to lose both the House and the Senate, STV rose to the challenge and started gearing up for the elections in battleground states. Part of the strength of this group is their perseverance and willingness to jump into the work.

UNITE HERE and STV are working together now in Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania. Additionally, STV is working again with LUCHA in Arizona; People's Action in Wisconsin; Pennsylvania Stands Up in Pennsylvania; New Georgia Project and the Asian American Advocacy Fund in Georgia ;and Durham for All in North Carolina. All these groups are based in communities of color and do year round community organizing as well as election work.[2]

Local victories

While we brought record turnout into statewide races, defended the governor's seat and shrunk Trump's win margin, we weren't able to flip North Carolina blue this year. But across the state, our model of multiracial, place-based organizing saw significant local wins. Here in Durham, we turned out in record numbers and made history by electing North Carolina's first ever all-woman county commission. In Guilford County, our allies with Guilford For All flipped their county commission from a 5-4 GOP majority to a 7-2 Democratic majority. In Wilmington, our compas with New Hanover For All flipped their county from red to blue, the first time the county voted for a Democratic president since Jimmy Carter. And in Alamance County, our friends at Down Home Alamance turned out to elect Ricky Hurtado as the first-ever Latinx Democrat in the North Carolina House.[3]

2021 Durham For All endorsements

For the past few years, Durham For All has been laying the foundation for co-governance in Durham: a model where elected officials we power into office, social movement organizations, and community members work together towards a vision of a Durham and a North Carolina for all, guided by the liberatory values of our movement. The current multiracial governing alliance on the City Council has won real changes for communities of color and working people. Our victories include a $95 million municipal housing bond, the establishment of a participatory budgeting process, and the creation of a Department of Community Safety and Wellness.

But this governing alliance is in transition and at risk of losing strength. That is why Durham For All is endorsing people-of-color city council and mayor candidates rooted in the multiracial and cross-class movements of our time and committed to the Black, Brown, immigrant, and working-class communities of Durham. We believe all three of these candidates to be powerful and intelligent policy makers in the face of difficult issues like community safety, affordable housing, living wages, and more.

With that vision in mind, Durham For All endorses:

Open Letter to the Biden Campaign on “Unprepared”

Open Letter to the Biden Campaign on “Unprepared” was released May 12 2020.

":Our demands: The country’s greatest priority at this moment is to beat the COVID-19 crisis, and this requires embracing principles of antiracist solidarity and international cooperation. The Biden campaign can and should beat Trump and the GOP with a message centered on our real public health needs and the progressive values that are required to meet those needs. The “Unprepared” ad must be taken down, and all campaign messaging that fuels anti-Asian racism and China-bashing must end. We refuse to allow the Biden campaign to sacrifice our dignity in the name of political expediency."

Signatories included Durham for All

People's Platform

Over the summer (2020), we invited Other Swing Voters, D4A members and the broader Durham community to 5 virtual meetings where we worked together to develop 5 'planks' of our People's Platform: Economy, Justice, Education, Homes and Healthcare For All.

Thanks to our Economy For All panelists Bertha Bradley (Fight for $15), Chanelle Croxton (NDWA) & Brigid Flaherty (Down Home NC); our Justice For All panelists Nikki Marin Baena (Siembra NC), D'atra Jackson (BYP 100) & Jose Romero (Durham Beyond Policing); our Education For All panelists James E. Ford (CREED), Henry Cruz Reyes (DPS graduate) & Millicent Rogers (Rebound); our Homes For All panelists Gary Chavis (Legal Aid NC), Alison Johnson (Housing Justice League) & Melissa Norton (Bull City 150); and our Healthcare For All panelists James Moore (Durham Democratic Socialists of America), Perri Morgan (White Coats Brigade) & Hyun Namkoong (NC Justice Center).[5]

Durham for All leadership

2021 leadership

Board

2020

Durham for All leadership team 2020.

Bennett D. Carpenter, Ociele Hawkins, Shanise Hamilton, Anthony Maglione, Sendolo Diaminah.

By late in the year it was Kaji Reyes, Bennett D. Carpenter, Ociele Hawkins, Shanise Hamilton, Anthony Maglione, Ashlyn Nuckols.

Durham for All

Durham for All board September 2020:

Durham for All Executive Director

Durham for All January 21 2020·

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The Durham for All team is thrilled to welcome our first Executive Director- Kaji Reyes-Gertes!

Come celebrate with us this at Skewers this Thursday, 6-8pm:

2020 brings a slate of local, state, and national elections that collectively represent the biggest opportunities and threats we have ever faced. This is a year where we all have a role in fighting to elect leaders at every level that will commit to policies and programs that will shape the social, economic, and environmental outcomes for the next generation - and what happens in Durham will impact all of these races. Recognizing the urgency of this moment, Durham for All is expanding our leadership capacity, and we are excited to share with you the hiring of one of our own: Kaji Reyes-Gertes as D4A’s first Executive Director!

Durham for All leaders

Durham For All February 23 2020·

Shout out to the amazing folks who came out to our first leadership training of the year!

Sign up to join the team that will be knocking doors, hosting meetings and building the power we need in Durham to defeat Trump and take the Senate at: bit.ly/d4aaction

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This year, Durham voters have the power to play a critical role in defeating Trump and his allies in North Carolina. But in order to win, we have to fight back against centuries of racist voter suppression and depression used to silence our communities. That’s why we’ve set the bold goal of reaching 17,000 voters of color who did not vote in 2016. If you’re ready to take action - whether that means canvassing our neighborhoods or entering data in our office - click the link above and join the movement to take back our government! — with Shanise Renee, Stephena Digsby Jones, Hashim Benford, Bennett D. Carpenter and Ociele Hawkins.

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Durham for All August 19 2019·

Shout out to Durham for All board members Tema Jon Okun Khalilah Karim and David Roswell.

Hashim Benford is on the board of Durham for All.

"Freedom in the Fall"

According to Janet Tucker "Freedom in the Fall" was held October 3-8 2020 virtually in North Carolina.. This was sponsored by the Left Inside/Outside Project. While initially planned as an in person event, as many other things, had to go virtual.

This event was hosted by Durham For All, Carolina Federation, and Down Home North Carolina. A broad array of members and friends of the sponsoring organizations came together to do deep canvassing phone banking. Saturday October 3 was a day of orientation, presentations from the hosting groups, and small group discussions of sharing experience.

Whitney Maxey from Liberation Road and the Left Inside/Outside Project opened the day with a moment of silence for those lost to COVID and police violence. People were encouraged to put the names in the chat.

After this she went on to explain that the Left Inside/Outside Project is looking at what a longer term impact would look like by creating more space for the left to develop strategy and tactics. The goals of the program are:

  • Provide theoretical skills and praxis training for the broad left
  • Working to build independent political organizatioons (IPO) and defeat the far right.
  • Freedom in the Fall"Serve as a basis of shared praxis for putting the inside/outside ideas into practice
  • Freedom in the Fall"attract new layers of politically active organizers and activists to the strategic importance of the electoral arenas
  • Part of a larger plan to cohere the socialist left and advance electoral strategy[7]

Durham for All Public Facebook group members

Durham for All Public Facebook group members June 30 2020.

Council victories

Durham for All fundraising letter from Dre Blakeney November 2019..

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My name is Dre. I’m part of a team of young leaders of color who have been organizing across Durham to talk with folks about affordable housing and get out the vote for our municipal elections.

Together, we elected four progressive leaders who have proven their dedication to fighting alongside our movements: city council members Javiera Caballero, Jillian Johnson, Charlie Reece and Mayor Steve Schewel. And together, we won a $95 million housing bond to combat gentrification and end the rapid displacement of our communities. So I’m writing to say congratulations, y’all. We did that.

Dre's story

For me, Tuesday night’s victories were a celebration of four years of organizing in the Durham community. I first came to the city in 2009 as an undergraduate at NCCU. After graduating and spending a short time away, my partner and I decided to move back and make this city our home. I loved the political community I’d found here, and I still love it today.

I was first introduced to Durham for All by Sendolo Diaminah back in 2016. At the time, I was going through a transition in my life and was also starting to develop an analysis of power. What drew me to Durham for All was that our organization has always rooted our electoral work in a plan for building a longterm movement, and one that centers the leadership of black and brown folks in Durham. I knew I wanted to be a part of that, but at the time I didn’t have a lot of faith in my own power or ability to be an organizer.

The mentorship and support I’ve received at Durham for All has allowed me to overcome my fear and see myself as real leader. Durham for All is deeply committed to putting the government in the hands of the people. One of the most important ways that we do that is by investing in and developing new leaders. The organization has invested in me, and I became a member to continue to invest in the leaders who will come up behind me. Time after time we’ve seen leaders take risks and take on new responsibilities, and support one another through the work. And because of that work, our organization has grown by over 300 members in 2019 alone![9]

F4A candidates

Durham for All October 8 2019·

It's election day y'all!

We have until 7:30 pm to vote for the three candidates who are fighting alongside us for a Durham where all of us can thrive: Javiera Caballero, Jillian Johnson, and Charlie Reece.

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Now is the time to make our voices heard! Click the link to find your polling place: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/

Jillian Johnson for City Council, Javiera Caballero para Durham, Charlie Reece for Durham.

"10K Strong Campaign Team"

Durham for All

Tony Macias, Sendolo Diaminah, Bennett D. Carpenter, Jillian Johnson, Aiden Graham, Anna Grant
Most members of our 2017 10K Strong Campaign Team, looking real cute after our year-end gathering.

2016 LAUNCH YEAR MISSION

Durham for All's mission is to develop and maintain a political vehicle rooted in and led by working class people of color that builds political power to win. To accomplish this, we will:

  • Use neighborhood, place-based organizing
  • Ungage in both electoral politics and issue-based campaigns
  • Explore solidarity economies, people's assemblies, and creative engagement
  • Develop and implement a broad progressive agenda, vision, and narrative for how Durham should be organized, in opposition to corporate & *Development power
  • Unite and cohere an array of multi-racial, progressive political forces in Durham so that we can collectively win![10]

OUR PURPOSE

It’s time to win back our government and put it to work for all of us. Corporations and right-wing politicians have rigged the political system, and we’ve had enough. Together, we are building a cross-class, multiracial movement in Durham that is 10,000 people strong.

This rigged system only works when the majority of people aren’t taking action together. When democratic participation is small and people are divided, the wealthy and powerful win. To be successful, our movement needs to be massive and stand up for all of us. Our goal is to bring 10,000 people into action, because 10,000 is the number of people we need to elect or un-elect local elected officials. With 10,000 people, we can create a new, powerful majority in Durham. 10,000 people gives us a mandate for change.

When this new majority unites at the ballot box and in the streets, we will defeat the politics of division and greed. Together, we will address our biggest problems — the need for affordable homes, quality education, good jobs, and real safety. Together, we will elect people that will use our tax dollars to meet each person’s basic needs and fight for a Durham where everyone can thrive. Together, we will demand that our local, state, and federal representatives serve all of our interests, not just the interests of the wealthy and powerful.

OUR PRINCIPLES

Our movement is guided by our deepest beliefs and a vision of the future we’re building together:

HOMES FOR ALL

Everyone has the right to live in a safe and affordable home. Right now in Durham, decent homes are a privilege of the wealthy rather than a right for all. We know that the rents are too high and that landlords have too much power over our lives. We know that many people — especially Black and Brown people, low-income people, and disabled people are being forced out of their homes and their neighborhoods. This makes it hard to build community and a stable life. We demand policies that support permanent affordable housing as well as food, clean energy, clean water, and internet that everyone can afford.

EDUCATION FOR ALL

Everyone has the right to a high-quality public education that fully develops their potential. This includes poor children, children of color, immigrant and refugee children, and children with disabilities. However, the reality is that our public schools are segregated and deeply unequal. Education has become more focused on test scores than supporting our children’s growth. Our schools don’t have the resources they need, and it is our kids who suffer. We oppose cutting the arts, physical education, recess, and services for children with special needs. We demand well-funded public schools that educate whole people from preschool to college/trade school and help children develop into happy, healthy and thriving adults.

ECONOMY FOR ALL

Everyone has the right to the resources they need to sustain themselves and their families and to live on a healthy planet. Big corporations make a lot of money in Durham, but many keep workers in poverty-wage jobs, harm the environment, and don’t pay their fair share of taxes. Our elders, disabled people, and people with criminal records are often left out of the economy. We need more access to safe, green, living-wage jobs with good benefits for our community to thrive. We want policies that spread wealth more equally by raising wages, creating job opportunities, and keeping money in our community. We want the right to organize unions and fight together for dignity and safety at work.

SANCTUARY FOR ALL

Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their bodies, homes, and communities. Too many people in Durham live in fear of violence at the hands of law enforcement. Too many live in fear of laws and politicians who promote hate and discrimination. Too many live in fear of violence in their homes or neighborhoods. We want an end to police violence, surveillance of Muslims, ICE raids, and policies that harm women and LGBTQ people. We call for policies that promote real community safety by divesting from criminalization and mass incarceration and investing in jobs, housing, healthcare, education, and community-based justice solutions outside of the police & prison system.

DEMOCRACY FOR ALL

Durham belongs to all who live here: Native, refugee and migrant, Black, Brown, Latino/a, Muslim, white, and Jewish, documented and undocumented, and LGBTQ. We need all these voices at the table to create a Durham for All. Right-wing politicians in North Carolina have used voter suppression to limit whose voice counts, turned hate into law, and made policies that benefit only the wealthy. We must end this attack on the people of North Carolina, and Durham must be a leader in a revolution for real democracy in our state.

OUR PLAN

Power comes from thousands of people speaking up and deciding to take action. That’s why our plan is based on building people power from the ground up. The plan has three stages:

Stage 1: Build a Mandate (2017). We will train 100+ people to ask their family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to sign our pledge and join the movement for a Durham for All. Our goal is to get 5,000 pledges in 2017. These signatures will be a mandate for a new political vision of the city rooted in the principles of a Durham for All. We will use these principles to elect a progressive majority to Durham’s City Council and hold them accountable.

Stage 2: Build a Model (2018). In the second stage, we will engage residents in a series of public forums. Our goal is to dive deeper into each issue, create a set of policy demands, and reach 10,000 pledges. We will hold neighborhood meetings, people’s assemblies, demonstrations, and other events to build support for our platform and take our demands to the streets. We will also train new leaders to expand the movement. Our focus will be on leaders who are working people, people of color, and women.

Stage 3: Build a Movement (2019-2020). In the third stage, we will pass the policies outlined in the platform. We will also bring fresh ideas, skilled leaders, and thousands of voters into the critical state and federal elections in 2020. Working with groups in rural areas, towns, and other cities, we will be part of unleashing millions of engaged residents and leaders in a movement to win back North Carolina.[11]

Durham for All people

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Durham For All June 21, 2017 · We had a busy weekend with our 2nd Monthly Mass Meeting, a Campaign Team mid-year retreat, and a base-building Community Dinner!

Durham folks, JOIN OUR 10K STRONG SQUAD: durhamforall.org/pledge

Let's win political power and build a Durham for All!

  1. 10KSTRONG

Sendolo Diaminah, Kaji Reyes, Laila Nur, Jillian Johnson, Bennett D. Carpenter, Melissa Norton, Tim Stallman, Salma Mirza, Elena Everett, Aiden Riley Graham, Tony Marimbondo Macias, Anna Duncan, Anna Grant, Ade Oh, Zaina Alsous, Jadebroo KS, Sijal Nasralla, Anthony Maglione, Ashlyn Nuckols.

Manager is Salma Mirza.

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Durham For All November 3, 2016

Photo credit: Sufia Ikbal Doucet Studios — with Kaji Reyes, Ade Oh, Anthony Maglione, Michael Whyte, DeDreana Freeman, Mina Ezikpe, Melissa Norton, Anna Grant, Jillian Johnson, Jazmynne Williams, Courtney Sebring, Liz Ott, Eric Winston, Danielle Purifoy, Sendolo Diaminah and Nate Johnson.

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Sendolo Diaminah with Natalie Beyer and 13 others, Felicia Arriaga, Mikel Barton, Nadeen Bir, Leigh Bordley, Theo Luebke, Roxana Bendezu, Caitlin Elly Breedlove, Millie Beth, Laurel Ashton, Beth Bruch, Le'Andre Demond Blakeney, Dasan Ahanu, Tony Marimbondo Macias.

August 12 at 3:39pm ·

Our 4th mass meeting for #10kStrong. Proud to be part of Durham For All with Laila Nur & DeAnna.

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Durham For All November 3, 2016

Danielle Purifoy, Zaina Alsous, Saba Taj and Mina Ezikpe.

References

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