Before the primary, we’ll be featuring information about the candidates running for our Executive Committee. We’ve listed the names of all candidates and information about the candidates who responded to our questionnaire.
Emily Altman
Tell us about yourself and your experience with the Tuscaloosa Co. Democratic Party. I am a birth doula and lactation consultant and also a founding member of Tuscaloosa Action. I have been an activist in Tuscaloosa for the last couple of years, focusing my work on issues of racial injustice, police violence, healthcare, and voting rights. I began attending the Zoom meetings of the TCDEC during the pandemic with my partner Mike who has been on the Executive Committee. I have taken part in Tuscaloosa Dems fundraisers, spread Tuscaloosa Dems messaging through Tuscaloosa Action’s social media, and organized many members of the party in Tuscaloosa Action actions and campaigns.
What is your vision for the TCDP Executive Committee? What do you hope to work on as a committee member? My vision for the TCDP Executive Committee is for a committee that is closer to the community and Democratic voters in the community, especially black voters in West Tuscaloosa. Too often the local party shows up in Black communities to register voters or canvas for candidates in the summer or fall of an election year and then disappears again until the next election. The party needs to build strong and sustainable relationships through community engagement and outreach. The party needs to be partner with existing organizations and institutions in the county’s Black community such as the Tuscaloosa NAACP and the Benjamin Barnes YMCA. The party needs to make Black voters in the county a priority, listen to them, build relationships with them, organize them, and turn them out to vote.
What talents do you have to bring to our volunteer efforts? I am a very organized person with some experience in community organizing and activism through my work with Tuscaloosa Action. I bring the ability to organize events, create campaigns, build networks, and collaborate with community partners. I also have knowledge and experience with healthcare policy, especially around women’s health issues, through my training and work as a birth doula.
Amber Buck
Tell us about yourself and your experience with the Tuscaloosa Co. Democratic Party. I’ve been involved with the party since late 2016, and since then I’ve played some role in almost every aspect of the party, including voter outreach and engagement, social media, print communications, media outreach, and voter protection. I’ve managed voter registration events that have registered 50+ voters. I’ve knocked on hundreds of doors across Tuscaloosa County, made hundreds of phone banking calls, trained 50 phone bankers, sent thousands of GOTV texts, managed and trained 60+ poll watchers, created 3 years worth of Facebook posts for the party and 1 year worth of Instagram posts, wrote and sent 40+ newsletters, made 100 different graphics, including postcards and stickers, and assisted 50+ voters directly on individual questions about voting through an ad hoc voter support hotline I created in 2020. I didn’t do this work alone, and I’m always collaborating extensively with others in the party.
What is your vision for the TCDP Executive Committee? What do you hope to work on as a committee member? I believe that the Tuscaloosa Co. Democratic Party can be a place where people with different strengths can come together, all pulling in the same direction to build a better Alabama. Tuscaloosa County is not a red county, but we are fighting against entrenched inequality, systemic voter suppression, and other structural issues. These aren’t easy problems to fix. As a party, we need to continue to do a better job to ensure the committee and the party reflect the Democratic electorate in Tuscaloosa, which means involving more young people, Black residents, and other groups underrepresented in Alabama government. By listening to and involving our communities and stakeholders, we can do a better job to show up for members of our community and to address issues they care about every day and not just at election time.
What talents do you have to bring to our volunteer efforts? I specialize in digital rhetoric and communication in my job, strengths I have already brought to my work with the party. I have experience and training with most political organizing tools. Whenever I see a problem, I jump to pitch in and fix it. During the 2020 election, I collaborated with others on our Voter Engagement Committee to get information out to voters to fight against voter suppression efforts. The past few years have been a turbulent time for our party and our country. I have also worked to present a united public front for our organization and to keep things running in difficult times.
LaQuisha (Que) Chandler
Tell us about yourself and your experience with the Tuscaloosa Co. Democratic Party. I’ve served on the TCDEC for almost 4 years now . I’ve been involved in several voter registration drives voter registration training and a host of community outreach efforts in hopes to make our communities stronger. I am happy to share I am a proud Democrat who worked along side other members of our party who raised awareness concerning racially gerrymandered proposed maps by our city officials. My commitment and drive to serve our party has always been consistent. That’s what our party needs. Someone who is going to talk the talk and also walk the walk.
What is your vision for the TCDP Executive Committee? What do you hope to work on as a committee member? My hope is to get more Democrats excited and informed when it comes to local elections. It’s starts at home. Educating folks on the importance of voting and how to vote is a top priority. In my opinion it should be the top priority for our party. I envision training and educating young Dems in hopes to win more elections. We need more young black folks in our party and we have to start engaging them right now. At the end of the day they are our next generation and it’s time we start investing in them now.
What talents do you have to bring to our volunteer efforts? Most of the issues that many people face in District 4 are not abstract issues for me. Many have been my lived experiences. One of the main issues I noticed being a community advocate is people aren’t being heard. We have to change that. Being a former candidate has positioned me for this position. I have so much experience with voter registration, organizing, phone banking , canvassing and simply meeting people where they are. I am also happy to share through the efforts of hardworking folks we were able to raise well over $5,000 for my campaign for City Council. We didn’t take a dime from shady PACS. Our party needs someone who has had firsthand experience with working with all people and not afraid to do the work.
Tasha Coryell
Tell us about yourself and your experience with the Tuscaloosa Co. Democratic Party. I’ve been involved with the TCDP since early 2017. I’ve helped run social media accounts, canvassed, phone banked, and volunteered at numerous events.
What is your vision for the TCDP Executive Committee? What do you hope to work on as a committee member? As one of the younger people involved with TCDP, I hope to increase the number of young people by doing outreach.
What talents do you have to bring to our volunteer efforts? I am experienced on social media and can do basic graphic design. I did Emerge Alabama training in 2021 and am familiar with the various facets required to run a successful campaign.
Katie Terrell
Cinderella Williams
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