We are one Durham, with many voices.
DeDreana has a long and broad base of experience in grassroots community-led organizing. She knows the critical immediate needs of those living in material poverty and has effectively amplified the voices of the community when immediate needs are not met or heard. She also knows that continuing to spend time and resources on band-aid work will never address the root causes of poverty and racism. She consistently raises the need for those most affected to be at the table working on solutions.
PRIORITIES
Council Member DeDreana Freeman has lived in Ward 1 for over thirteen years. She strives to represent her constituents with the compassion, respect, and support they deserve. Her goal is to continue to be a community representative who cultivates change by harnessing our collective power. DeDreana aspires to co-create with the Durham community to build an equitable and safe environment for residents to live, work, worship, and play. To get there, she believes that community members must engage in municipal decision-making, which will lead to innovative solutions to issues. Her re-election campaign is organized around five priority areas grounded in building social, economic, and environmental justice.
2. Environmental Justice
Recognizing the impact of the environment on our community is a vital step to achieving environmental justice. We cannot forget the historical effect that environmental policies continue to have on communities of color. To counter these effects and build a more resilient climate future, we must prioritize investing resources in economically depressed communities to ensure equitable access to resources.
4. Jobs & Economic Growth
We must have shared economic prosperity to build strong, vibrant neighborhoods. DeDreana will continue to support economic policies that meet the needs of our city and create opportunities for economic mobility. As businesses continue to move into Durham, partnerships across sectors, including higher education, will be essential to building employment pathways for youth and adults. We must grow the economy by supporting existing businesses and increasing business ventures by aspiring local artist…
1. Community Health & Safety
We can have a safe and healthy community by supporting and implementing wide-scale vaccine distribution and community-driven responses to violence. In Durham, nearly 54% of adult residents are fully vaccinated against Covid. However, people of color are still behind. There are many local groups and organizations actively working to increase vaccinations in black and brown communities. DeDreana strongly supports these efforts and believes that we should provide more resources to further increase impact.
3. Environmental Stewardship
To protect the environment for future generations, we must build healthy communities and businesses that reduce our collective carbon footprint. We must increase access and use of affordable renewable energy. We must also adopt smart land-use policies that preserve natural lands as multi-purpose open spaces. These areas can serve as sustainable amenities providing visitor destinations while also helping to mitigate the impact of climate change.
5. Transportation & Sustainable Housing
We must stabilize and improve the quantity and quality of Durham’s housing stock. Councilmember Freeman remains committed to this effort. We must establish a tenant’s bill of rights and create ownership opportunities for long-time and low-income residents while leveraging those opportunities to support community wealth building. DeDreana continues to support smart transportation networks and housing initiatives that benefit working families, elders, people with disabilities, and people of color…
