District 6 is home to Bahama Village, Key West’s historic Black neighborhood, and one of the most important African-American communities in the country. As a 26-year resident of Bahama Village, I have seen up close the painful experiences my Black neighbors and their families have had to shoulder as a result of historic and systemic injustices.
 
Over the decades, Bahama Village has been neglected when it comes to infrastructure improvements and other investments. You can see the effects of this today on our streets and side walks.  Our treasured community resources , like the Martin Luther King Community pool,  has sadly fallen into disrepair.
 
I don’t pretend to know the challenges my Black neighbors and their families have experienced firsthand, but I know what it is like to live in a neighborhood that has been neglected.
 
Since moving to Bahama Village in 1998, I’ve volunteered my time and given back to my community. I’m a former board member of several community organizations.  As an attorney, I’ve offered my estate-planning and other legal services either pro bono or on a sliding scale of affordability, through churches in Bahama Village  and to local families.
 
If elected as Commissioner, I will work hard to diligently serve the residents of District 6 and make decisions that are in the best interests of my district as a whole.  In every decision I make, I will keep in mind the historic importance of Bahama Village; the innumerable contributions that African Americans, Cuban Americans, Haitian Americans, and other ethnic groups have made to Key West, and the bright future I see around me every day in our historic Black community.
 
I plan to appoint residents of the community to important advisory boards and other key positions in the City. I will work hard to move Bahama Village forward and see that it is treated with the respect  and fairness it deserves from our City.