PLATFORM
Photo by Trevor Holman
Community: the place where we live, work and play.
Let’s continue to build community, empower community, love community – bringing all of us together, one day and one step at a time.
The beloved community is a place where everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, hunger and hate. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. popularized the term during his lifetime of activism and gave it new meaning, fueled by his faith that such a community was, in fact, possible. Dr. King also told us that the beloved community would require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.
When we are practicing the beloved community, we center love for humanity. Love as accountability. Love as justice. Love as belonging. Carrboro is that beloved community for all of us, and we must continue to come together and care for one another.
Inclusive community engagement is critical to our work as a town. We need to hear from all community members on issues and make information accessible to everyone. We need diverse civic participation and leadership to evolve sustainable solutions for our shared challenges. Looking through a racial equity lens also opens up a new set of possibilities and will help us reimagine how we approach issues and find equitable solutions that work for housing affordability, community safety, supporting our local businesses, climate action/environmental justice, transportation, storm water management and more.
Community continues to be the way forward as we work towards more equitable and sustainable outcomes. At the core of my service are people, and I am guided by hearing from community members about issues that matter to all of us.
The Town of Carrboro heard from community through our recently adopted (2022) and first-ever Comprehensive Plan. With race equity and climate action as its pillars, we will work towards achieving our community’s vision, expectations and guidance for growth, development/redevelopment and town services over the next 20 years. Plan policies will also address land use, which serves as the foundation for economic development and revenue stability, as well as the Town’s ability to provide direct services and support other initiatives.
I have a long-term commitment to serving the Carrboro community and will continue to work toward understanding and addressing the issues that are important to us. I will continue to advocate for an affordable and equitable space where everyone is welcome. A lot has been accomplished, but we can do more as I continue to hear from community members about ongoing concerns and ways that we can improve Carrboro.
I hope to continue to have a seat at the local government table as your Mayor.
Barbara speaks at Carrboro's 2021 Juneteenth Celebration (13:50).
Barbara speaks about why the Social Justice Rally on June 6, 2020 is important to her.
Barbara speaks (2:20) at the Habitat build: "Community is so important."