Durham Committee On The Affairs Of Black People Announces Endorsements

DURHAM, NC – The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People (DCABP)  has announced the names of four candidates the organization will be endorsing in the contests for mayor and three at-large seats on City Council in this year’s Durham municipal election primary.

In the race for mayor, The Durham Committee will support sitting City Councilmember Leonardo Williams, who was selected over three other candidates who sought The Committee’s endorsement in that race, according to Durham Committee Chair Walter Jackson.  Jackson said the other three candidates who sought the organization’s endorsement were sitting Council Member DeDreana Freeman, Pastor Sylvester Williams, and State Senator Mike Woodard, a former member of the Council.

In the race for the three at-large seats on City Council that are up for election this year, DCABP will be supporting Councilmember Dr. Monique Holsey-Hyman, Atty. Sheila Huggins, and Durham Planning Commission member Nate Baker.  Other candidates who sought the organization’s endorsement were JJ Campbell, Khalilah Karim, Javiera Caballero, Carl Rist, and Shanetta Burris.

“We have a very strong field of candidates in the races for this year’s municipal election,” The Durham Committee’s Jackson said.  He continued “We submitted and obtained written responses to several relevant questions from the candidates seeking our endorsement and conducted virtual interviews with them on the internet before our political committee met on Saturday (August 5) to determine recommendations for endorsement that were then submitted to and ratified by our general body on Sunday (August 6).  These are the four candidates whom we are endorsing as a result of that process.”

The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People was formed in 1935 as the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs and has played a strong role in advocacy in Durham and beyond since its founding. Former leaders of the organization include John Wheeler, J. J. “Babe” Henderson, Willie Lovett, John Edwards, F. V. “Pete” Allison, Dr. E. Lavonia Allison, Randal Rogers, Sen. Ralph Hunt, Omar Beasley, and Antonio Jones.

The organization serves as a representative of and leadership body for the Black community of the City and County of Durham.