Pierce Freelon

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Pierce Freelon

Nonpartisan

Prior offices:

Durham City Council Ward 3

Years in office: 2020 - 2021

Successor: Leonardo Williams (Nonpartisan)

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Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Graduate

Syracuse University

Personal

Birthplace

Durham, NC

Religion

Christian

Profession

Musician, professor, and social entrepreneur

Contact

Campaign website

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Personal website

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Pierce Freelon was a member of the Durham City Council in North Carolina, representing Ward 3. He assumed office on August 31, 2020. He left office on December 6, 2021.

Freelon (Democratic Party) ran for election to the North Carolina State Senate to represent District 20. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2020.

Freelon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Freelon was a candidate for mayor of Durham, North Carolina. He was defeated in the primary election on October 10, 2017.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Freelon earned his B.A. in African and African American studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006 and his M.A. in Pan African studies from Syracuse University in 2008.

Freelon's professional experience includes work as the founder of the youth community center Blackspace, a co-founder of the social entrepreneurship community program Beat Making Lab, a founding member and emcee for The Beast, the president and founder of Blackademics, a lecturer for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University, a program coordinator for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, a hip hop coordinator for Voices for Working Families, and as the writer, composer, and co-director of the animated series History of White People in America. He has also served on the boards of the Durham Library Foundation, KidzNotes, the Nasher Museum of Art Friends, the North Carolina Arts Council, and the Sacrificial Poets. He has also taught in the Department of Political Science at North Carolina Central University and the Department of African, African American and Diaspora Studies at UNC Chapel Hill.

Organizations

As of his 2020 campaign, Freelon was affiliated with the following organizations:

• Blackspace, Founder
• Durham Human Relations Commission, Vice-Chair
• Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, Member
• Durham For All, Member|Durham People's Alliance, Member
• North Carolina Arts Council, former board member
• Nasher Museum of Art, former board member
• KidZnotes, former board member
• Durham Library Foundation, former board member

Elections

2020

See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for North Carolina State Senate District 20

Incumbent Natalie Murdock defeated John Tarantino in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 20 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Natalie Murdock (D)	83.6	102,732
		John Tarantino (R)	16.4	20,143

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 122,875
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 20

Incumbent Natalie Murdock defeated Pierce Freelon and Gray Ellis in the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 20 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Natalie Murdock	45.2	24,508
		Pierce Freelon	37.0	20,054
		Gray Ellis	17.8	9,629

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 54,191
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. John Tarantino advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 20.

2017

See also: Mayoral election in Durham, North Carolina (2017) and Municipal elections in Durham, North Carolina (2017)

The following candidates ran in the primary election for mayor of Durham.

Mayor of Durham, Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Steve Schewel	51.04%	12,998
Farad Ali	29.14%	7,421
Pierce Freelon	15.94%	4,059
Sylvester Williams	1.33%	338
Kershemia Ramirez	1.16%	296
Tracy Drinker	0.99%	251
Michael Johnson	0.40%	101
Total Votes		25,464
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Official Primary Election Results - Durham," accessed October 27, 2017

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Pierce Freelon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Freelon's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Millennial politician, Political Science professor, father of two beautiful brown children and 12 Years a Husband. I was born in Durham's District 20, where I was raised by a jazz singer and an architect who believe that access to quality healthcare, housing, education and jobs is a human right. I cut my teeth as an organizer with Voices for Working Families, worked with the US Department of State on cultural diplomacy and conflict resolution, and currently serve as Vice-Chair of the Durham Human Relations Commission. I am running to bring Durham's progressive values to the NC General Assembly. He/Him.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• The first key message is Health. I will help close the Medicaid coverage gap in NC, bringing over half a million North Carolinians to healthcare provision and tens of thousands of new jobs to our state. My health platform also commits to environmental and housing justice. In McDougald Terrace, a public housing neighborhood in the heart of District 20, folks have been struggling to survive with carbon monoxide, raw sewage and other health and safety concerns for decades. My future work, as state senator, will include getting bipartisan support to invest in renewable energy and green infrastructure, comprehensive healthcare and sustainable housing throughout District 20.
• Criminal Justice Reform is the second key message. As a state senator, I will support bipartisan action towards equity: Criminal Justice Reform that encompasses a definitive end to cash money bail and the criminalization of poverty (which incites crimes of need) and medical and recreational marijuana from which we have more to gain economically and holistically than not. We also seek to ensure police officers in our community benefit from support for these necessities, including anti-bias training and the hire of trauma-informed community-wellness first responders licensed to manage mental health crises without force.
• The last key message is to end voter suppression. Voting rights are a key source of socioeconomic power. I seek to lead progressively in the fight against voter suppression, a NC issue that's gained national attention. The Fourth Circuit courts found our 21st-century laws "the most restrictive voting law North Carolina has seen since the era of Jim Crow" and that "no legislature in the United States had "ever done so much, so fast, to restrict access to the franchise." With the Census around the corner we need an independent, fair redistricting commission to restore integrity to our Democratic process.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Things Green: the planet, marijuana reform, and equity. Northern Durham County community have supported minorities in new food systems and restored foliage to bald banks. At NC A&T University, the industrial hemp program anticipates our catching up to states like Illinois that are reinvesting legal marijuana proceeds into social equity for communities ravaged by The War on Drugs.

I seek to lead in ways that improve quality of life, eliminate a huge chunk of police arrests, and generate capital and jobs simultaneously. I care about education! Over 90,000 NC teachers went on strike (more than General Motors and At&T workers combined) for funding and Medicaid Expansion. I love how engaged our community is!

In District 20 we don't just talk about it, we are about it. We have local bionomics curricula that teach students water harvesting and animal husbandry. Artists and college athletes alike have reimagined and led on making Durham a zero waste place. Duke has farm programs with solar-powered equipment; North Carolina Central's Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE Institute) was hosting Renewable Resources lectures (solar, wind and geothermal energy) over ten years ago. My mentor, Mayor Schewel has confirmed Durham's commitment to the Paris Accords. Renewable, Research, Action, Revenue: that's the way forward.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my father, Phil Freelon. He passed away on July 9th, 2019 after a 3-year struggle with ALS. He is an incredibly nurturing, creative and joyful spirit! He poured his zeal for life into his work: architecture. My father designed many wonderful structures, which are an enduring testament to his legacy. When I walk around the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, I feel like I'm dwelling inside his awesome imagination! Each of his buildings--the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the Museum of the African Diaspora, Durham's public transit station--tells a different story. They each reflect a glimpse of his genius. I look up to my Dad because he strived for excellence, he was passionate about his purpose and he died (he called it a "transformation") with such incredible grace and dignity. He refused to use his divine talents to design prisons or casinos. I LOVE THAT! He didn't do things for money. He invested his gifts in spaces that made the world a better place. His quote is engraved on the front of Durham's Human Services Complex. It reads, "Durham's vitality is built upon the health of our residents and the capacity of our community to foster and enhance the wellbeing of every citizen." I'm running for North Carolina State Senate to help make that vision a reality.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

It is important for an elected official to be a good listener, to have an abundance of patience and empathy. To be a good communicator - both to their constituents, and colleagues. To be accountable to the people they serve -- because holding public office is a public service. An elected official should do thorough research and make informed decisions, which center people over profits, human rights and social justice. In my opinion, elected officials should go through a race equity training, and understand the nuances of implicit bias, privilege and power.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of: Community. Service. My grandmother always told me to "Lift As You Climb". She reminded me constantly that I stood on the shoulders of giants--that my ancestors laid foundations to provide a springboard to propel me forward. I'm grateful for that and I want to continue in this tradition! Durham is full of individuals and spaces which have poured value and resilience and love and curiosity into me. Mama Muna, Sister Hanifah, Mrs. Mozella MacLaughlin (who turns 103 this year), Know Book Store, Baba Chuck Davis, EK Powe Elementary, Dr. John Hope Franklin, Harvey Gantt, Mayor Bill Bell, The Honorable Mickey Michaux, Harriet Tubman Day Camp, Museum of Life and Science, Durham School of the Arts and YMCA summer programs all contributed towards making me the man I am today. It took a whole wide VILLAGE here Durham to nurture me, and I intend to pay it forward. I will fight for the people of Durham in District 20. I will fight for the arts, for the poor, for the youth, for the culture, for the vitality of my city. When it's time for my transformation, I want leave like my father: with dignity, grace and a record of service that leaves a positive mark on the community which has given me so much.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Octavia Butler's Wildseed. I'm a huge fan of Science Fiction and Octavia is an amazing author. I couldn't put this book down!

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our state, and our nation's greatest challenge is climate change. Climate change is real and has very real implications for the daily lives of North Carolinians. It influences the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil we grow our food in. This is why we must be vigilant in pursuing a policy agenda that ensures a safe and healthy environment for generations to come. We must support an inclusive agenda that increases access to community solar, electric vehicles, and other forms of clean energy for all North Carolina households. We must produce a statewide food action plan in partnership with communities from across the state, both rural and urban. We must support policies that improve environmental settings for all communities, regenerative agriculture, as well as other practices that rebuild our state's environmental conditions while addressing community needs.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

It is absolutely imperative that legislators build meaningful relationships with one another, especially across the aisle. One would hope that, at the end of the day, every person in the General Assembly is there because they care about the great State of North Carolina. If we start with that assumption, we can at least find common ground in our mutual desire to improve the lives of our fellow residents. How we go about that will inevitably differ, but that is the very nature of democracy. Legislative sessions are about doing work: writing and revising bills, negotiating, talking to constituents, building alliances and collaborating! It is an inherently a creative process! I couldn't imagine a scenario where one would attempt to co-create something powerful and meaningful, without building a substantive relationship with their counterparts. I plan on getting to know each member in my chamber. I want to know their first and last names, their families, their faiths, whether they like to hunt or hike, whether they drink kombucha or bud light, whether they're from the mountains or the coast. If we put the work in to build the relationship -- then we'll be able to legislate more effectively, more dynamically and more efficiently!

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

One story that touched me was from a teacher who had recently been diagnosed with cancer. She showed me her medical bill. It was exorbitant. She revealed to me that the device the doctors used to probe her nostril and diagnose her cancer (which took about 2-minutes) cost more than she makes in one month. She spoke about how undervalued that made her feel. She teaches, nurtures and loves over 130 kids each week. She puts in hours well beyond what she's paid to make sure the kids in her classroom are taken care of, yet her bill revealed that a 2-minute test is basically the equivalent of a months worth of 8-12 hour workdays in the Durham Public School system. Furthermore, she shared that--even though she had health insurance--she wrestled with whether to treat the cancer and risk putting her family into debt, or take her chances, risking death to save money. These are not the types of decisions our beloved school teachers should have to face. They should be paid, and covered with the best quality healthcare, and I will fight to make sure both of these things happen!

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2017

Freelon's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“	Poverty Today, nearly 40% of Durham's children of color live in households that are at or below poverty. These children are our future. Poverty persists throughout our city: Durham's poverty rate has risen from 15% in 2000 to 19.2% in 2015 despite Downtown Durham's prosperity. This means that 1 in 5 people in Durham live in poverty. This is higher than the state (17.4%) and the country (13.5%). As of 2015 over 45,000 residents made an annual income of $24,036 for a family of four. Much of this poverty is concentrated in historically disenfranchised and disinvested areas of Durham. Unemployment and Underemployment The burden of unemployment and poverty are not distributed evenly; African-Americans, Latinos, and female-headed households are disproportionately affected. In Durham, unemployment for blacks tends to be about two times higher than unemployment for whites. As of 2015, unemployment in Durham was 5.5%, but it was 3.1% for whites and 8.6% for blacks. The current minimum wage in Durham is $7.25, which amounts to only $15,080 a year before taxes for full-time workers - a salary that is insufficient to meet basic daily needs for workers in Durham. Gentrification and Displacement Durham has the highest eviction rate in the state. Last year, between 800 and 1,000 people in Durham were faced with eviction every month. The need for affordable housing greatly exceeds the availability, with a mere 38 affordable units for every hundred very low-income households (of which there are about 12,000 in Durham). 52% of renters in Durham are cost burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing. The housing wage needed is 223% of minimum wage. There is a strong need to preserve homeownership for people who already own their homes and are now at risk for displacement due to higher property taxes. Growing Inequity Since December 2001, $1.7 billion in public and private investments have flooded the 0.8-square-mile downtown area in the form of tech startups, world-class restaurants, and trendy hotels. In many poverty concentrated neighborhoods over policing is the primary way in which our city is putting resources to work rather than focusing on creating jobs, parks, and after-school programs. As mayor I will prioritize our greatest asset, our people.	”
—Pierce Freelon's campaign website, (2017)

Endorsements

2017

Freelon received endorsements from the following in 2017:

• The Collective PAC
• Equality NC
• Launch Progress
• Run for Something

See also

Durham, North Carolina	North Carolina	Municipal government	Other local coverage

External links

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Candidate

North Carolina State Senate District 20

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Vernetta Alston	Durham City Council, Ward 3 2020-2021	Succeeded by Leonardo Williams