Hey Friends!

We ran a tremendous race, winning the second most votes out of every council candidate in Providence. I’m proud of every vote I earned and the supporters who knocked on doors called voters and stood for hours outside of polls. We built a team that was unmatched in a time when volunteers were short. All while being a first-time candidate and being outspent. 

I come from humble beginnings. Most of the men in my family are incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, or victims of gun violence, my mother is a pharmacist technician, and my father a handyman, and after losing 8 friends to gun violence I decided enough was enough. Politics was never in the plans but I’ve always been searching for answers and our system leads back to most of them. In 2016, I became Iowa’s youngest National Delegate at The Democratic National Convention. I later worked as a field organizer for Cathy Glasson For Governor, a Bernie Sanders-style Democrat running for Governor In Iowa, winning more votes in the primary than any progressive before. After that, I worked for the Iowa Democratic Party, Abby Finkenuer For Congress, and then as the Digital Organizer for the Iowa Democratic Black Caucus. After graduating with a bachelor's in Political Science, from the University of Northern Iowa, I moved to Providence, Rhode Island searching for a welcoming diverse community. 

After the death of George Floyd, I knew I had to do something so I joined the protest. In these protests, I met Joyce Wise and Joshua Franco. Both kept asking how we turn this energy into systemic change. I suggested we start a political action committee after long hours of research and preparation. We founded the first state and regional Black Lives Matter Political Action Committee. I served as the Political Director, Co-Founder, and later Executive Director of the Black Lives Matter RI PAC (BLM RI PAC). At the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, we were able to organize protesters, issue policy agendas, and support black and brown candidates. We met with legislators pushing for resolution on conflicting bills around the repeal and amendment of the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights (LEOBOR). We organized teens to march in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. We’ve testified on more than a dozen critical criminal justice bills. We’ve hosted forums and panels with community leaders and fundraisers with black and brown candidates. And ultimately I was offered a position with Governor McKee’s administration where In coordination with the policy team we were able to get important items on the budget. Since I left the BLM RI PAC Harrison Tuttle has been a fearless leader elevating the PAC from not only a political playmaker but also the leading voice for Black communities. 

In Fiscal Year 2022, we got Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for all 39 cities and towns' police departments. So, our police have the skills and training to interact with individuals in crisis. We also became the first state to fully fund a statewide body cameras program for all 39 cities and towns' police departments and the state police. I worked with The Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Health and Hospitals (BHDDH) to issue a request for proposal for a Cahoots-style program to work separately from police to respond to crisis situations. I worked with activists against gun violence and organizations like The Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence (RICAGV), as a representation of Governor McKee’s administration supporting: limiting magazines to 10 rounds, Raising the age to buy long guns and ammunition from 18 to 21, Prohibiting loaded long guns in public. While we didn’t get every bill or policy we desperately needed, we saw tremendous progress in creating a safer Rhode Island.

Now, I work at the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training in the Governor's Workforce Board as the Chief of Policy and Planning. As a son of a formerly incarcerated father, I know how much a job prevents crime. Every day we work hard to provide training and employment to thousands of individuals a year. Director Weldon’s leadership added an equity lens to all the work we do. Working to ensure our innovative programs reach our most marginalized communities. 

My work hasn’t stopped, a few years ago we founded Time To Run, a 501(c)4 non-partisan political non-profit dedicated to decentralizing the knowledge to run for office. I was fortunate in my race to have the skills from previous campaigns. Unfortunately, there were things I didn’t know and I had to learn. I noticed quickly that in exchange for support and knowledge, I was being tugged in different directions to “fall in line” ideologically but also regarding personality alliances. Time To Run’s mission statement is to deliver civic education through arts with multimedia and animated explainer videos. With no strings attached and this year, we form Time To Run 501(c)3 counterparts.

Time To Advocate is a 501(c)3 non-partisan non-profit, dedicated to delivering civic education through arts with multi-media and animated explainer videos. Our team decided we need to build civic education in order to build political ambition. Time To Run & Time To Advocate does this in animated explainer videos, an innovative approach to learning. 

Learn more or make a contribution at www.TimeToRun.org and www.TimeToAdvocate.org.

A contribution to my campaign account will support my future endeavors.