Local politicians came to Duke to speak about their experiences as emerging leaders in Durham politics.
Photos and quotes sourced from Gautam Sirdeshmukh and Alison Korn of the Duke Chronicle.
Anjali Boyd, Bettina Umstead, and Nida Allam were guest speakers at Polis’s “Local Politics and Democracy” event, where they described their work, their different paths into politics, and their perspectives on productive political dialogue. Boyd, a Duke University PhD student, currently serves as the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor. Umstead founded educational non-profit Student U and currently leads Durham Public Schools’ Board of Education. Allam led Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential efforts in North Carolina and currently serves on the Durham County Board of Commissioners.
Here are a few of our favorite quotes from the discussion:
“A lot of it is trying to meet new people, understand what their needs are in their county, and how we can be of assistance to them and how they can be of assistance to us.” – Anjali Boyd
“I would repeat again to not listen to anyone who tells you to wait your turn [to run for office]” – Nida Allam
“If kids are spending kindergarten through the 12th grade in a public school, they should leave ready to change the world… Their lives depend on it, their family’s lives depend on it.” – Bettina Umstead
You can read more in the Duke Chronicle.
