Message to HBCU Students on Voting from Deandrea Newsome – A GDN Exclusive

Meet Fayetteville native Deandrea Newsome. Deandrea has a few titles in public policy and politics. She is the NC Manager for Local Progress and consults with nonprofit organizations and politicians in her spare time.

“Every year is an election year. Every election is important. This is not a race to stay at home. If someone contemplates whether they need to participate, reconsider”, Deandrea shared with GDN the vitality of our coming election.

Political advocacy is noticeably at the forefront through organized protests, discussing concerns with politicians, and forum participation at town hall meetings. There is another way to lead from behind the scenes in the most direct and empowering ways possible. Have you heard of that saying reading is fundamental? This statement holds value in public policy. Public policy echoes the voice of change through in-depth reading and research.

Deandrea shared stories about why executing progressive policies matters. Deandrea spends her time interacting with elected officials throughout the state to pass progressive policies on issues impacting the community. “When you find allies, you have to figure out how we can all work together to pass good policy,” Newsome shared. One of Deandrea’s proudest moments was her involvement in the NC is Ready campaign to pass nondiscrimination ordinances in local municipalities across the state. The ordinances included protections such as the protections in the Crown Act, which defend people who wear natural hairstyles in the workplace. “It was one of the proudest moments of my career. I felt like this was the reason I went to public policy school. I want to see my work make an impact.”, Deandrea tells GDN. Deandrea is currently involved with ARPA, the American Rescue Plan Act. She coaches local elected officials on ways to use the available federal funding to recover from the pandemic.

As the Organizing Director at Advance Carolina, she was aware of minority farmers’ disparate resources. However, Newsome could not figure out how to articulate what was happening. Her studies in Public Policy at Duke University helped her tell the story about what was happening. During the same time, her work mirrored the television show Queen Sugar. Her continuous tweets on Twitter about the show and how it related to NC Black Farmers led to her meeting the Queen Sugar cast and Oprah Winfrey in 2017.

Deandrea is also a commissioner on the National Social Action Commission of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She has worked hard this year educating chapters about Medicaid Expansion and providing readiness tools for chapter members when they meet with representatives on this issue. She serves on the Delta Day Planning Committee in the Nation Capital and works closely with the Delta Research of Education Foundation (DREF). Deandrea believes there is more work to be done in this country among minorities. She is very passionate about advocacy and policy.

Message to HBCU Students on Voting

Newsome believes supporters must creatively mobilize younger audiences by articulating the issues affecting them in a way they can understand. She also believes in relying on trusted neighborhood leaders to learn about candidates. She stands firm in holding the elected officials accountable. “What they say today may not be what they are doing tomorrow,” shared Newsome. She discussed the importance of trusted organizations, such as the Divine Nine, hosting candidate forums and organizing their local communities around the issues.

Deandrea exemplifies the true meaning of AGGIE PRIDE. A saying from her alma mater, NC A&T State University, means “Achieve Great Goals in Everything while Producing Renowned Individuals Dedicated to Excellence.” That spirit resonates in Deandrea to stay active and champion community affairs through public infrastructure.
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