{"id":5635,"date":"2021-09-17T15:35:27","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T15:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=5635"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:59:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:59:23","slug":"meet-durham-mayoral-candidate-rebecca-harvard-barnes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2021\/09\/17\/meet-durham-mayoral-candidate-rebecca-harvard-barnes\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Durham mayoral candidate Rebecca Harvard Barnes"},"content":{"rendered":"
When mayoral candidate Rebecca Harvard Barnes talks about Durham, her eyes widen and her face lights up. <\/span><\/p>\n She\u2019s not a seasoned politician like other candidates. She\u2019s never even held public office, and most of her work has been faith-oriented. So why is she running?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI absolutely <\/span>love <\/span><\/i>Durham,\u201d Harvard Barnes said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The 52-year-old candidate was prompted to run after seeing an onslaught of political, economic, and health crises afflict the city. She wants to win, but even if she doesn\u2019t, she hopes her long-shot candidacy inspires people to get involved.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI want to lead by example. I want to show people that what they can do is get up and do something,\u201d she said. \u201cMy \u2018doing something\u2019 is running for mayor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n If elected, Harvard Barnes would use continued investment and creative policy to address affordable housing. Climate change and racial equity are among her other top focuses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Despite her lack of political experience, she thinks she\u2019s ready to lead Durham. Her father, Joseph Harvard, pastored the city’s First Presbyterian Church, and she\u2019s worked in churches as a lay minister on-and-off for 20 years, most recently educating kids and teenagers. She has also worked for Habitat for Humanity, a Christian nonprofit that builds homes for underserved communities and advocates for just housing policies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Harvard Barnes said she has a knack for \u201cbuilding bridges, bringing people together, and helping people work through differences they may hav<\/span>e.\u201d <\/span>She would facilitate smooth conversations between different parts of city government because of her experience <\/span>navigating the many sects and departments of churches, she added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When finances got tight during the pandemic, she obtained a real estate license and joined a firm that she hopes can help her advocate for affordable housing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI wear a lot of different hats. I carry a lot of different bags,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n Harvard Barnes graduated from Durham public schools and admires the city\u2019s \u201cincredible array\u201d of nonprofits, communities of faith, and civic activity. Still, problems like<\/span> poverty, food insecurity, racial inequity, and development need to be addressed, she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The candidate wants the city to continue investing in affordable housing. She also wants the city to construct market-rate housing while preventing for-profit developers from pricing out lower-income residents. Other cities would help inspire her policy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a firm believer in not having to reinvent the wheel,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are so many programs all across the country where affordable housing has been addressed in creative ways. We\u2019ve just got to look at them and make some decisions based on what\u2019s been successful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Climate change preoccupies her. She thinks of overflowing landfills and global warming often.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI lose sleep over it,\u201d she said. She believes current national and international emission reduction goals aren\u2019t ambitious enough, and would amplify Durham\u2019s climate change initiatives as mayor. <\/span><\/p>\nA vision for Durham<\/h2>\n