At the December 12 People's Alliance end-of-year holiday party and membership meeting, PA members will vote on new board members, officers, and the budget for 2020. Read on to learn more about the Board nominees. And don't forget to RSVP to the meeting here!

The People's Alliance Board of Directors recommends the following people to join for a two-year term: 

Ameshia Cooper

Since becoming a member of the People’s Alliance, I have witnessed and assisted in securing political victories for our community. I value and appreciate the mechanisms the People’s Alliance uses to ensure all feel welcomed, heard and valued. I share the People’s Alliance vision for a just, equitable and inclusive community where all people can thrive and I am confident that as a member of the People’s Alliance Board of Directors, I can assist the organization in expanding and improving its existing framework. I am a Bull City native and public servant committed to improving the lives of Durham’s citizens. I am passionate about empowering my neighbors and equipping them with the know-how to advocate on their own behalf. For 5 years I served as an Assistant District Attorney and was hands on with my community; speaking life into those I encountered, utilizing restorative principles to resolve cases and educating the public about the importance of gun safety to prevent child fatalities. Now that my work serves Durham on a broader scale, I am actively seeking opportunities that allow me to be a doer and maker of positive change here at home. 

Chukwuemeka “Chuck” A. Manning Sr.

Chukwuemeka (Chuck) A. Manning Sr. is a Durham native and activist in his beloved city. Chuck Manning Sr. is a justice involved resident, who knows personally how hard it is to overcome the barriers that present themselves once released from incarceration. Chuck Manning Sr. works as a volunteer with Bill City United as a Violence Interrupter/Outreach Worker. Bull City United is a group of ex-gang members who have adopted the Cure Violence model from Chicago and implemented it in the toughest areas of Durham. Chuck Manning Sr. is also a proud member of People’s Alliance Racial Equity Team. Currently, Chuck Manning Sr. is employed by The City of Durham’s Participatory Budgeting and Innovation Team. Mr. Manning’s duties consist of engaging with community, recruiting justice involved residents to interview for data, giving personal insight around program design, and in-depth research around gun/gang violence. He is also the head Participatory Budget outreach coordinator.

David Paletta

David Paletta has long worked on campaigns, including the McGovern campaign in Durham in 1972 and the campaign against the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant. While a student at Duke, he was on the Board of NC PIRG, a consumer advocacy organization. David was also the lead organizer of Duke students in support of workers at a coal mine owned by Duke that went on strike for better working conditions. After graduating he worked for Carolina Action, a group similar to Durham CAN, in Durham for 1 year before attending UNC Law School from 1977 - 1980. David has been a general practitioner since then and handled a wide variety of civil matters. The focus of his law practice has always been representing low income individuals whose rights were violated. David is a member of the NC Advocates for Justice, the National Organization of Social Security Claimant's Representatives (NOSSCR), and PA. In his free time he has been a volunteer with Duke Hospice. As his legal career is slowly winding down, he is interested in increasing my involvement with organizations that promote social change and/or provide services to those in need.

Elizabeth Simpson

Elizabeth Simpson is an attorney and Associate Director of the Carolina Justice Policy Center in Durham, where she works to make abolitionist-minded interventions in the state's criminal legal system. She is also Board Treasurer of the Southern Vision Alliance, a Durham-based grassroots intermediary organization that provides infrastructure and capacity-building to youth-led programs in the U.S. South. She is married to a Durham Public Schools teacher/organizer and is the parent to two children. 

Fredrick Farrington

I am a native of Durham and the founder of a non-profit created to raise awareness in the community about social injustice and its practices. I developed strategic models that inspire personal growth and development for the purpose of reducing recidivism based on my personal experiences. I have been actively involved in the community working as a Peer Support Specialist, Substance Abuse Facilitator, Gang Outreach Coordinator with Project Build, and House Monitor and case manager at STSG Transitional Housing. Through life experiences I was blessed with the ability to acquire the knowledge to facilitate change. My passion for helping others is undeniable HUGE!  

Nicole Netzel

Nicole Netzel spends her days working with people displaced by economic, political and physical violence across North Carolina. Nicole looks forward to post-capitalism and is interested in engaging in conversations that explore a new socio-economic order that benefits all of the world's people (and animals/plants/nature). Nicole in a marathon runner, avid reader of slightly depressing family dramas, pho enthusiast and Durham transplant by way of Chicago.

Raymundo Garcia 

Raymundo brings a strong background in social entrepreneurship, community engagement, and philanthropy. Raised in Marietta, a suburb of Atlanta, he grew up in a predominantly black and brown community characterized by significant disinvestment. As the first in his family to graduate college, he holds degrees in Public Policy and History from UNC Chapel Hill. During his undergraduate career, Raymundo served as the Co-President of the Carolina Hispanic Association where his activism efforts contributed to the creation of an on campus Latinx Center. Thereafter, he joined So Good Pupusas, a social justice food truck and catering company, that has received coverage from prominent media outlets including Univision, Indy Week, and NowThis. Raymundo also worked at the William R. Kenan Charitable Trust where he worked to bolster community-based investment in Latinx Durham through community asset-mapping. Currently, Raymundo works with Lead For America as the Director of Development where he builds systems for people to join LFA’s mission through all forms of giving. Having lived and worked in Durham the past few years, Raymundo hopes to serve the community that has given him a renewed sense of purpose and hope.

Other 2020 Board Updates

Thanks to the outgoing board members for their years of dedication and support: 

• Alexana Garcia (2019 vice president)
• Will Durham (2019 co-treasurer)

The following board members will continue to serve in 2020. We will also vote to confirm officers at our meeting.

• Victoria Bright (co-president)
• Katie Mgongolwa (co-president)
• Katie Todd (vice president)
• Ricky Leung (secretary)
• Matthew Messana (treasurer) 
• Ana Sofia Nunez
• Dabney Hopkins
• Delvin Davis
• Nicole Furnace
• Yesenia Polanco

Be sure to join us on December 12, 6:30pm to 8:30pm, at The Scrap Exchange! RSVP here.