If elected mayor, what are the top three things that you will do that you believe will have the most positive impact on Wichita’s African-American community?

1. First, we must have community outreach on ongoing basis. Communities that have been neglected and oppressed for long periods of time take a movement/project to rejuvenate and restore. Juanita Ridge and I currently working on a multi-prong approach to getting residents engaged in community clean-up, resurrecting Neighborhood Associations, and applying for and completing home repairs in 67214.  We are removing the blight, fostering resident engagement, and creating beauty.

2.Legal Services at a free or at reduced rate and easily accessible. When the African-American community has a higher rate of incarceration and are more frequently profiled, and the community needs better legal services to address issues that are otherwise ignored due to access.  The fees and cost for legal services and court fees result in large debt that prevents a person from achieving any real success.

3.Getting African American youth and their parents active in civil rights organizations like ACLU; Technology enrichment like Black Girls Code; Strengthen the work LaWanda DeShazer is doing with the “NAACP Youth Council; and increase Boys & Girls Club enrollment and support. Even better, we ensure that when a need occurs, we address timely and do not allow people to flounder. There are resources and we need to fully communicate and utilize!