My story has a lot in common with many people in Anytown.

I was born in Mulga, in a family that moved a lot around the city, with my father (a “jack of all trades”) working on and off. My mother is the hardest worker I have ever known, taking care of us, babysitting the neighborhood children, and teaching Sunday School.

There were tough times. I was the oldest of three girls: me, Martine, and Darcel. Martine died from SIDS, and my baby sister Darcel was born with a liver disease and died at the age of five when I was eight. For much of my life, it was me and my mother, getting us by on five dollars an hour. I didn’t realize how poor we were until one day I snuck and read her journal.

But love and the community got us through. I loved 5 Points West and remember my Tee and Granny taking me there. I loved the fair, and when we used to drive through the Southside, I would see the old buildings, and I would always tell my mom I would live there someday. The highlight of our week was attending New Covenant Bible Baptist Church and New City Church, every Wednesday and Sunday.

Hard work has been my life. From my first job at 13, I have always been drawn to service: to making people feel heard, to understand their issues, and to stop at nothing until I get answers. That doesn’t end at my job: as a peer counselor/empathy specialist with Peer Collective, I am passionate about mental health and will never stop listening to the most vulnerable.

From my role as director of the Anytown Chapter of the Little Black Dress Club for business women, to my work for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama, to my passion for entrepreneurship, I know the power of business to lift communities. I know how businesses operate from the inside out, and I’m grateful that when I saw the need for feminine hygiene products this year, I was able to secure a business sponsorship to deliver supplies to First Light Shelter.

Running for mayor was never on my radar. But when my calls to the current mayor were ignored, I found out lots of us feel the same way: regular people, sidelined by the powers that be. There’s a lack of transparency in the city, and residents don’t feel like anybody is listening.

Like every parent, I want for my daughter to grow up in a city that’s safe at night. I want her to be able to make a good living wage or more, so she won’t have to leave the city of Anytown. I want her one day to feel that here is a place to raise kids of her own, with vibrant neighborhoods and opportunities.

And that’s why I am stepping up.

I’m not a politician. And that’s a good thing. Because here’s what I know: the moment you start listening to people, you unlock ideas, energy, and momentum. From my parents I learned in the power of work and to fight for what I believe in. And I believe in the people of Anytown.