My Story.
Meet Corey.
I’m in this fight for a reason.
Growing up, my mom worked two to three jobs while going to school to support her family. Due to her mounting college debt, she held off on finishing her bachelor's degree so my oldest brother Steven could. Steven was the first person in our family to get a college degree, and in 2020, I became the second. Though the pandemic made a physical ceremony or a graduation party impossible, I felt and continue to feel fortunate to be alive as many others didn’t survive through the pandemic.
In order to have racial justice, we need climate justice which means focusing on marginalized communities which are disproportionately affected by climate change. I bring a passionate, hard-working, independent voice, with lived experience and progressive values that will fight against status-quo politics at City Hall.
I was raised in a neighborhood dominated by gun violence, having had over four friends and family members murdered— victims of senseless gun violence. My father had a troubled youth and after serving his time, had his rights restored and was determined we wouldn’t make the same mistakes. My mom told me, "Unless one of us rises to a position of power and can give our perspective on the inside, the violence won't stop." She inspired me to do something about it. I was activated by Bernie Sanders's campaign in 2016 when I became a National Delegate at the Democratic National Convention for Bernie Sanders!
As a former educator in the Providence School systems, I've seen that young people aren't given enough opportunities to explore their capabilities. This is even more obvious after the pandemic. I know, when planning a recovery for Providence, that we have to start with our most marginalized communities. We have to oppose corporate welfare for luxury housing and increase affordable housing.
As the former political director and executive director of Black Lives Matter RI PAC, I built relationships with black candidates in Rhode Island. I led campaigns to address non-violent crimes with non-violent responses which led to the creation of a providence mobile crisis team which focuses on mental health and increasing housing accessibility.
I'm running for the Providence school board because overdoses and crime are at an all-time high within our community and more people are struggling than ever before. We need to address addiction and gun violence as a public health crisis: addressing the trauma built up in our communities, allowing us to save the lives of those we’re losing to overdoses, and creating a harm reduction approach in policing. We need to establish year-round youth programs and preventative measures to stop crime from happening before it happens. This is the start to ending the school-to-prison link.
We need to invest in Providence Public Schools and address the unique challenges that we face. We need to create a pipeline of teachers of color, create year-round youth educational programs, and give schools the resources to be successful. Together, we will embark on an ambitious plan to increase housing through funding, zoning, and revitalization. We'll take back our title as the creative capital with our plan for the arts!
We will create a better Providence and Ward 3 from Billy Taylor Park, Lippit Park, Camp Street, and Hope Street down Main Street from the Mount Hope neighborhood to Summit—We are in this together.