Claretta Duckett-Freeman
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Claretta Duckett-Freeman ran for election for an at-large seat of the Lansing City Council in Michigan. She lost in the general election on November 2, 2021.
Duckett-Freeman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Claretta Duckett-Freeman was born in Chicago, Illinois, and lives in Lansing, Michigan. Duckett-Freeman graduated from Michigan State University in 2011. She served in the United States Army from 2001 to 2007. Her career experience includes working as an EMT, firefighter, prep cook, school bus driver, and preschool teacher.
Duckett-Freeman has been affiliated with Black Lives Matter Lansing, Mothering Justice, Willow Tree Family Center, and Improving Birth.[1]
Elections
2021
See also: City elections in Lansing, Michigan (2021)
General election
Nonpartisan primary election
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Claretta Duckett-Freeman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Duckett-Freeman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Claretta Duckett-Freeman is a 16 year resident of Lansing. She and her husband Daro raise 5 children who attend Lansing Public Schools. Claretta served in the Army Reserves as a Combat Medic and Mental Health Specialist. She graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Education and Political Science. Claretta spent most of her time in Lansing doing volunteer work in church and several organizations while raising her 5 children whose ages range from 6 to 15.
Claretta is a board member of Willow Tree Family Center and the Michigan Board of Licensed Midwifery. She was a Mothering Justice Fellow and coordinated Improving Birth rallies in Lansing for several years. You may have seen Claretta on posters promoting Breastfeeding as she was the first Black Certified Lactation Counselor in Lansing. In the last 3 years, Claretta decided to stop being a homemaker and to start a new career as a firefighter-EMT. One of Claretta’s passions is for Black women and children to be whole and healthy, mentally and physically.
- Defund the police and invest in our citizens.
- Oppression is morally wrong and our city should not tolerate racism, sexual harassment, homophobia or transphobia.
- Development in the city should not push out marginalized people and our city's activities should be accessible to all people.
I'm very passionate about physical and mental health. I believe our taxes should go to improving our wellbeing whether that is investing in schools, health programs, parks and recreation. Investing in our people lowers crime and endears people to the city. I believe that punitive measures of controlling human behavior are outdated and inhumane. I work for a day where the prison system is abolished and the money spent on prisons and jails go to therapist and childcare. Our taxes should improve the lives of the citizenry because it belongs to the people.
I believe that local government is more important than the federal government. Often there is less bureaucracy and it is easier to hold official accountable when they are your neighbor. T he decisions city council makes can affect us immediately. Ordinance changes can make the difference of someone being charged with a misdemeanor or just receiving a civil infraction. Budget decisions can change an entire group of children's life trajectory.
Honestly, I look up to Jesus. I know in this day and age that sounds corny. But, I want to love people radically. I want to be courageous and stand with people, especially people who society ignores and devalues. Jesus stood with women during a time when women were still treated like property. He ate with ostracized people and encouraged them to be better people. He ate with poor people and gave them hope. He promised a tomorrow where things would be good. I cannot make any promises about everyone's wellbeing. I'm no demigod but I can make promises about my actions and show my determination.
The Breathe Act at breatheact.org and the developing local breathe act https://www.oneloveglobal.org/lansingpeoplesassembly
I believe that honesty is the most important characteristic for an elected official.
I believe my ability to imagine a hopeful future and my ability to listen to the people affected will make me a successful leader.
The core responsibility is the desire to talk to different kids of people and the availability to reach out to people.
I want my legacy to be that I loved people and that I listened to them. I want people to see and know that I genuinely care for their wellbeing.
When I was 19 years old, I was in my job training for the Army. Our sergeant turned on the television and we watched the twin towers fall. People were sent to Iraq initially and I remember being confused about why Iraq was chosen when terrorists in Afghanistan were said to be responsible. Iraqi women and children were being killed. When my unit was activated months later, I asked my Major why was the line so blurry. What were we fighting for? She was an immigrant from the Philippine Islands. She told me not to worry about it and to do what we were told. We live in the greatest country in the world. But I was starting to doubt that. I told her this is not like World War 2. Something about this feels off. I was glad our unit was spit up and I was sent back to Illinois and not Iraq or Afghanistan. I wanted to be sure that what I was doing was the right thing. I wasn't afraid to go to war as much as I was afraid to cause harm to undeserving people.
Little Women is my favorite book because their family was advanced in seeing women as capable of being educated and they refused to buy clothing made by people who had been enslaved. They had very high ideals and did not force their daughters to find husbands and would not allow people to hit their children even though it was culturally acceptable.
I would be Wonder Woman if I could be anyone I want to be. She is smart, strong, fast and cares so much for humankind.
Money has been a struggle for me. I always felt that staying at home with my children was what I wanted to do but we had children before we finished college and so we have always struggled with debt. I could probably make more money if I had a different drive. However my children need so much from me and they are only children a short while. So I still choose jobs that are part-time or have strange hours so I can be available to them more often than not.
The city council can investigate all departments and people of the City government.
It could be beneficial to have experience except when experience keeps office holders from coming up with innovative ideas to improve the lives of the citizenry
I believe the most helpful skills for holders of city council would be compassion, creativity and relatability.
It is probably too inappropriate.
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See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 16, 2021
