{"id":421,"date":"2021-04-14T02:09:53","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T02:09:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cerissabrown.com\/?page_id=421"},"modified":"2021-09-15T15:52:39","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15T15:52:39","slug":"meet-cerissa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jeffhayford.com\/cpm-cerissa\/meet-cerissa\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Cerissa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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MEET CERISSA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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MEET
CERISSA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Vote for me & you WILL be heard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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My story has a lot in common with many people in Birmingham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was born in Mulga, in a family that moved a lot around the city, with my father (a \u201cjack of all trades\u201d) working on and off. My mother is the hardest worker I have ever known, taking care of us, babysitting the neighborhood children, and teaching Sunday School at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were tough times. I was the oldest of three girls: me, Martine, and Darcel. Martine died from SIDS, and my baby sister Darcel was born with a rare liver disease called biliary atresia and died at the age of five when I was eight. For much of my life, it was me and my mother, getting us by as a housekeeper on five dollars an hour. I didn\u2019t realize how poor we were until one day in high school I snuck and read her journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But love and the community got us through. I loved 5 Points West and remember my Tee and Granny taking me there to shopping at Parisians. I loved when the fair would come to town at the fairgrounds, and when we used to drive through the Southside, I would see the old buildings, and I would always tell my mom I would live there someday. The highlight of our week was attending New Covenant Bible Baptist Church and eventually New City Church, every Wednesday and Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hard work has been my life. From my first job at 13, I have always been drawn to service: to making people feel heard, to understand their issues, and to stop at nothing until I get answers. I am mental health advocate and passionate about mental health and our neighbors experiencing homelessness. I will never stop listening to the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From my role as director of the Birmingham Chapter of the Little Black Dress Club for business women, to my work for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama, to my passion for entrepreneurship, I know the power of business to lift communities. I know how businesses operate from the inside out, and I\u2019m grateful that when I saw the need for feminine hygiene products this year, I was able to secure a business sponsorship to deliver supplies to First Light Shelter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running for mayor was never on my radar. But when my calls to the current mayor were ignored, I found out lots of us feel the same way: regular people, sidelined by the powers that be. There\u2019s a lack of transparency in the city, and residents don\u2019t feel like anybody is listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like every parent, I want my daughter to live in a city that\u2019s safe at night. I want her to be able to make a good living wage or more, so she won\u2019t have to leave the city of Birmingham. I want her one day to feel that here is a place to raise kids of her own, with vibrant neighborhoods and opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s why I am stepping up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not a politician. And that\u2019s a good thing. Because here\u2019s what I know: the moment you start listening to people, you unlock ideas, energy, and momentum. From my parents, I learned the power of work and to fight for what I believe in. And I believe in the people of Birmingham.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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