Why Jama joined Team Danny
My name is Jama Ibrahim. I’m a junior at The University of Mary Washington, and I grew up in Richmond where I was surrounded by a community rich in culture and history. I got involved in Danny’s campaign through my former elementary school basketball coach. When he told me about Danny and what Danny’s working towards accomplishing in the city, I knew I wanted to be a part of his team.
Since joining the campaign, I have had the privilege of working with a group of incredible people dedicated to making a difference. Lately, I’ve been knocking on doors and having meaningful conversations with voters. These Interactions with residents—and hearing what changes they would like to see made in Richmond—have fueled my passion to support Danny.
To me, supporting Danny means supporting a future where everyone in Richmond has a fair shot at success and where our communities can thrive. I support Danny because of his commitment to real change. It resonates deeply with me. I know that his vision for Richmond is what we need for the betterment of the community that I was raised in for the last 19 years.
I am proud to be a part of this team and proud to be working together to create positive change.
— Jama
From the mouths of more interns
We asked our interns to describe an ideal Richmond, and here are just a few of their responses:
- “My ideal Richmond would have more affordable housing, a better funded education system, and more extensive public transportation.” — Russell
- “The ideal Richmond to me is a place where people feel supported and heard, no matter their career, gender, race, sexuality, or anything else that might cause them to feel like an outcast. I see Richmond as a place where people can come together and embrace their differences. Richmond is so amazing because of its diversity, and I think a lot can be done to help embrace that.” — Sophie
- “The ideal Richmond for me is one where everyone has access to high-quality public resources regardless of race or socioeconomic status. This includes high-quality, free, and reliable transit to all parts of the city, well funded and staffed public schools, and more housing to combat affordability issues.” — William
- “For me, the ideal Richmond has community engagement and infrastructure which helps the city grow and improve. The government is trusted to make decisions which protect the safety of Richmond and promote equity in all facets of Richmond life.” — Smriti
Team Danny is lucky to have such a great group of high school and college interns. They not only provide much needed capacity (thanks for all the door-knocking and spreadsheet-filling, y’all!), but also great perspective on how they’d like to see Richmond thrive. We are so grateful to each and every one of them.
Get involved
Want to join Team Danny as an intern? We’d love to have you! We are currently recruiting for late summer and fall internships. If you want to join a fun, energetic campaign to realize the vision of a healthy and thriving Richmond for all, contact Sarah at sarah@dannyformayor.com.
Intern life not for you? Don’t worry, there are plenty of other ways to get involved!
News
Richmond’s City Council will soon vote on transferring an unused school building on the Northside to Planned Parenthood so they can build a new women’s clinic. I’m very excited about this because it means more women will have access to affordable medical services and reproductive care. Planned Parenthood helps make that happen and now can serve even more Richmond residents. You can read the actual ordinance Council will vote on (ORD. 2024-190) via the city’s legislative website.
Looking back
What an energetic, powerful, and passionate group there was at the Unions For All Mayoral Candidate Forum! I was so moved by the testimonies given and the thoughtful questions asked. I share the unions’ goals to support workers’ right to organize, to protect against wage theft, worker misclassification, and intimidation tactics by employers. I commit to upholding collective bargaining and project labor agreements and to fight for a City where all workers can afford to live, access health care, and build towards the future they desire.
- As a twenty year resident of Church Hill, I saw lots of old friends—and met some new ones—when I attended the Church Hill Association meeting this past week. Although I’ve been involved in the East End for a long time, I wanted residents to have an opportunity to hear about my priorities as Mayor.
- This past week I spoke with the Richmond Crusade for Voters, an organization that has a long history of fighting for civil rights in the city. We still have more we need to do, and I am eager to partner with the Richmond Crusade for Voters to make it happen.
- I want to thank the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association for helping us pull together a restaurant roundtable at And Dim Sum this week—I so appreciated the opportunity to meet with restaurant owners and those who support the industry. We must clean up the mess our finance systems have made with the meals tax, and give the restaurants the respect and appreciation they deserve as they help earn so many of our city’s accolades and fuel our economy. The owners affirmed that there are many wonderful employees at City Hall, but the lack of transparency and IT infrastructure to administer their taxes correctly is appalling and costing their businesses too much. I wanted to hear about these needs and how, as Mayor, I can make sure we continue to have a thriving — and delicious — restaurant scene.
Looking ahead
- Come canvass with Danny on July 20th at 10 am. We’ll be walking in the 1st district. We’d love to have your company as we chat with neighbors about positive change in Richmond! RSVP here.
- This coming week we’re hosting a fundraiser in the 2nd District on July 23 at 6 p.m. If you’d like to join us — it’ll be a great time! — you can RSVP here.
From the trail
