I have grown up and lived my entire life in Eastern North Carolina, and I have seen firsthand the struggles our community faces. I am a mom of three boys, a founder of an incarceration re-entry non profit, and someone who has fought every day to stand up for my neighbors. As a young black woman in the south, I know that the American dream has not always been in reach. But I am running because I believe the American dream can be achieved for all of us. If we have representatives on our side, we can make history – together.
My roots in ENC started with German settlers who came to America and assisted with the founding of New Bern, NC. From there my 4th great grandfather, Nero Kornegay, grew up as a slave in Eastern NC and was forced to work from sun up to sun down in Craven and Jones counties. He had envisioned an American Dream for himself and his family, but at this time in our history it was impossible as a slave, to keep his family together and achieve this dream.
My grandmother is one of the last of the original Kornegay bloodline – she was born in the 1920’s to a farmer and raised in Ayden NC. My grandmother lived through the Great Depression, both world wars, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights movement. After her husband passed away, she worked tirelessly to provide for her 5 children. Although our family history and the color of her skin unduly barred her, she persisted in finding that American Dream that Nero had envisioned for us.