LV2021 Municipal Primary Candidate Questionnaire

Prepared By: Latarsha Brown

Phone/Email: REDACTED

Campaign Manager: Chloe Cole-Wilson

Phone/Email: REDACTED

Candidate Name: Latarsha Brown

Campaign Email: friendsoflatarshabrown@gmail.com

Campaign Website: https://m.facebook.com/LaTarsha4ASD/

I LaTarsha Brown, certify that the information provided on this questionnaire is accurate and the
opinions stated here accurately reflect my own positions.
__________________________________________________________________________

Please complete, sign and return this via email in either Word Doc or PDF format to
politics@lvstandsup.org on or before March 27th, 2021.
_______________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer

In an effort to build transparency and hold our leaders accountable, LVSU intends to publish this
questionnaire on our website and social media to draw our members’ attention to issues in this
election cycle. We also intend on publishing answers from your campaign to more directly
engage with our membership and community. Do you agree to have some or all of your
responses shared publicly as part of our endorsement process?

❏ Yes
❏ No (if no we will indicate that you preferred not to share your answers publicly)

INTRODUCTION
Lehigh Valley Stands Up (LVSU) a grassroots multi-racial working class force for transformative
political change in the Lehigh Valley. We empower constituents and public servants alike to
address systemic causes of inequity at the heart of our mission, especially the systems that
disproportionately impact our marginalized communities, such as Black, Indigenous, People of
Color (BIPOC); Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer (LGBTQIA+); disabled; and otherwise
vulnerable residents. The following open-ended questions are intended to help the members of
Lehigh Valley Stands Up (LVSU) understand how you view the world and the political issues that
face the Lehigh Valley. As you might expect, these questions are big and broad. We expect
each answer to explicitly address the issues facing the aforementioned vulnerable communities.
Please respond to each in 250 words or less.

1. What do you value most about the municipality you’re running to represent and why do
you want to represent the people of that municipality?
Our community is diverse and filled with so much love and support for one another.
Every community member has unique abilities that truly transforms our community. Even
with the lack of resources and support from large institutions and corporations for the
right projects and needs, our community finds ways to help and support one another. It is
time to step up and give our community what it deserves, the removal of systemic
barriers, equitable health care & education, sustainable wages that gives autonomy to
the individuals and families to live healthy and safe lives, and the opportunity to create
their own success.

2. What do you believe are the biggest issues facing BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ constituents?
How does it fit into your campaign priorities?

The issue which affects these populations the most is the systematic oppression that has
been placed upon them. The system of White Supremacy has blinded people in seeing
the potential of a people for far too long. Implicit bias stops LGBTQIA+ & BIPOC people
from living healthy and safe lives. This same bias also stops these populations from
receiving services in which they are in need. My campaign is to create equitable
educational experiences for our students of the Allentown School District. With
advocating for updated policies, resources, and plans that includes every voice in our
community. While making space to actively listen to LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC students and
families and taking their concerns to the board.

3. How will you regularly use the power of your office to dismantle white supremacy and
address systemic racism in our local and municipal governments?

By advocating for the removal of racist policies, traditions and ways we communicate
with our students and community. Many times the voices of students and people outside
of the system are silenced because of the system of white supremacy. We must learn
how to create new ways to connect with our community. That includes the way teachers
and administrators work with our students, especially our BIPOC students. The school to
 prison pipeline takes away our students ability to learn and grow. Many of the schools
tactics such as over-policing our students, the lack of mental health services, and the
lack of response to student crisis situations such as assault, bullying, and violence has
created environments in which students' spirits are broken. The participation in silencing
our students must end. I am hear the bridge the gap and work with everyone to find
ways to make ASD a better more equitable district for all.

4. The 2 main campaigns for LVSU in 2021 are de-carcerating the Allentown school system
and protecting and expanding voting rights in the Lehigh Valley: In seeking our
endorsement, how will you support our campaigns?
Implementing restorative practices that will remove the use of using APD as a way to
mediate conflicts between students, teachers and administration. Restorative practices
need a full community ready to change the climate of their schools and discipline tactics.
The school-to-prison pipeline is a topic that I have fully immersed myself in because of
my personal relationships with other systems of power that use threat and aggression
that have affected my children. I am currently working with the Lehigh Valley Justice
Institute and two other projects in researching and implementing ways in which we can
end the school to prison pipeline.
De-carcerating our schools is deeper than just better relationships with police officers;
it's also changing the culture in which we punish and discipline our students. It’s
changing how our teachers and administration interacts with our students. Its using
education as a tool to lift students and empower them to find their own power and peace.
Voting Rights: Educating our students and giving them the opportunity to know and
understand our system of voting is important. Even though the voting system has been
unfair to many, we must teach others the power of voting. It a tool we have to change the
communities we live in.

5. What is your vision for the role of police in our communities in the Lehigh Valley? Please
address how your elected office can take steps to accomplish your vision.

My vision is something that may take years and years to come. We must figure out ways
to respond to crises that don't involve the life altering measures that police officers take.
These aggressive tactics that the system of policing use is not needed for every
situation. We need the use of mental health workers, crisis intervention counselors, and
other community services that are addressing violence and crisis as a part of our culture
in how we manage crises.

ASD has a MOU with APD, I want to end that contract and find ways to allocate
resources to restorative practice measures. Our youth have trauma from life
circumstances. They deserve real and effective services and support that can only be
done with care and equity in mind.
6. According to a December 2020 report from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center,
CARES funding for PA schools was distributed inequitably and underfunded the poorest
districts and those with majorities of students of color most. The state also failed to
distribute $108 million in rent and mortgage relief within the allowed period. With more
COVID relief available soon from the Biden administration, we need leaders that will get
relief into the hands of those that need it most.
If your elected body received a grant for COVID-related relief, what would be your top
spending priority? How would you ensure that COVID-related relief lands in the hands of
vulnerable people first?
My top spending priority would be ventilation systems, building updates, and adequate
technology for students to be able to be a part of the education system even if they are
high-risk for COVID-19 Complications and death. Students deserve adequate places to
learn no matter where they came from. In addition to these needs I would like to make
sure that some of these dollars are focused on mental health services that students
need after suffering from a major historical event. The lack of connection and the loss of
in-person school attendance has caused a lot of students to lose access to important
services such as clubs, school activities, and support for students with intellectual
disabilities who need paraprofessional support. The families of students have lost so
much during this pandemic and deserve services and attention.

7. Municipal and local budgets are notoriously cash-strapped. In a period of austerity how
will you prioritize the needs of our BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities in the face of
budget shortfalls?
Funds need to be distributed for services and community needs first before we are
prioritizing services that are considered amenities to our community. ASD is currently in
a deficit so every dollar that is spent matters. I want to make sure that we are allocating
funds properly so that we are spending money on preventative options and measures so
we are not spending more money later. Our taxpayers deserve people who are going to
think of them. Those taxpayers are many times just like me, someone who is making
under $75,000 a year and is supporting a family of 5 or some families are making even
less than livable wages. I want to make sure that BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ Students are
receiving everything they need. I am dedicated to listening and being proactive when
there are needs and working with the board to supply and support the students’ needs.

8. What is your path to victory? How will you engage new voters and expand the electorate
in your municipality or body?
My plan to victory is to be transparent and include the voices of the community and work
alongside other social and political leaders to move and engage them in doing what is
needed for our community. My plan includes virtual and in-person events that capture
the needs of our community. ASD students and their families' voices matter, so many
times campaigns are made without the voice of the community. My experts are the
community followed by data and support from other professionals, not the other way
around.
 I will engage new voters by using the power of technology and use myself as an
example to stand up for what is right. I am just like you, someone who believes that our
families and individuals deserve more. I want to empower people to do what they can to
support their community and give my story and success to them.

9. Who is funding your campaign? Is there anyone from whom you are not taking campaign
contributions? Why?

Any political body that is a part of the machine. My monetary donations will be from
people who can support financially but I am also taking donations that means more than
dollars, volunteering time and community voices. My campaign is about removing
barriers and shifting the focus on the needs of our students, so I refuse to take dollars
from people who feed the machine.
Receiving support from people who feed the machine is a conflict of interest. The
community are my experts in their needs and I am working for the community. Not the
people who feed the machine.

10. For School Board Candidates Only: Given the difficulties K-12 education faced
throughout this pandemic, what are your preparedness plans for future pandemics?

Our plan in place should be more than just continuing classes. It is more than just
making sure they are there for math, sciences and social studies we need to also
support the social and emotional needs of our students. Our students have lost so much
during this pandemic. I want to make sure we are prioritizing their mental health and
social well-being.
Unsheltered youth and youth who are experiencing housing and food insecurities need
more attention than just a single call from a counselor. Students missing schools deserve
support that is understanding and empathic and engages them back into class. This is
something that needs to happen regardless of a pandemic.
In addition I want to preserve the plans we have currently and continue to work on them
in safety committee conversations and meetings. We may not know what the world may
bring but learning from our past will definitely prepare us for future pandemics.
School buildings in the meantime must be updated even without the need of a pandemic
affecting our everyday. Many of the buildings in our districts even though they are
historical staples are over a hundred years old and need updates regardless of the
pandemic. All students deserve safe facilities regardless of where they come from.

ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION

If there’s anything else our membership should know about you or if you feel the need to provide
additional information about any of your above responses, do so here. Please keep your
response to a total of 100 words or less
I want to make a long lasting influence on the ASD School board. There is a lack of connection
between the community and the school board. I want to work with the members of the school
board together to make effective change for our communities. I want to give students and their
families an opportunity to speak up and be heard and create a culture of listening to every voice.
We must invest in our youth for a brighter future.

Latarsha Brown
Latarsha Brown