Kristin Richardson Jordan: Disrupting the District with Radical Love
Harlem is ready. http://www.kristinforharlem.com
*disclaimer: the podcast is ~30 minutes with some bonus content at the end!*
Kristin Richardson Jordan Interview
By Miah Sanchez
I was very honored and excited to interview New York City Council Candidate representing District 9, Kristin Richardson Jordan. Kristin is a Brown University 2009 graduate, a founder of her own publishing company called Pens Up Press, and an active leader in the Harlem community starting programs like the Freedom and Love Birthright. Kristin has always had a creative mind and she has used those skills to tie into her passion for justice and equality and also her campaign! In 2020 Kristin Richardson Jordan decided to run for New York City Council, an endeavor that only made sense considering she is a third-generation Harlemite and a very active leader in her community. Harlem is changing at a very fast pace because of gentrification: I have family members who can’t afford to pay rent, friends losing jobs, and worst of all old peers who can’t escape the cycles of poverty that have affected low-income groups for far too long. Kristin’s campaign hit very close to home.
Leadership has always interested me, I really wanted to discuss her leadership style, how her identities have affected the ways that she chooses to lead, and how being a charismatic leader has influenced her supporters. Kristin was a really amazing person to speak to and she inspired me in so many different ways. Kristin has faced a lot of hate and online trolls since running for office because of her identities and it was really powerful to hear about her strength and how she rises above all of the negativity and uses the power of radical love she even said, “the win is being yourself.” To be able to speak to a woman that is so courageous, so charismatic, and so passionate was really such a privilege and I am so excited to follow her campaign.
Kristin and I talked for over an hour, I decided to make my podcast 30 minutes but I really wanted to include some bonus content about her childhood and her H.A.R.L.E.M. campaign because she had some really powerful things to say about both! It was really fun making this podcast I didn’t really have a lot of technical difficulties the one trouble I did have was with scheduling but luckily that was all sorted out.
This experience made me realize how simple it can be to reach out to black women doing really amazing work. I don’t think I ever would have been bold enough to reach out to someone that I admired so much and I would have missed out on a really valuable opportunity. This project has inspired me to reach out to, do research on, and support black women who are doing the dang thing! I look forward to the many conversations I will have in the future thanks to this <3
Works Cited
Edwards, Erica. Charisma and the Fictions of Black Leadership (2012)
Richardson Jordan, Kristin, kristinforharlem.com/.
Spain, Anna. Chapter 7 “African Women Leaders and the Advancement of Peacebuilding in International Law” from Black Women and International Law (2015)