Experience

Tekesha works hard every day for our community through her mediation work, which spans every aspect of local life. Among many other things, she has facilitated conversations with law enforcement, vastly bettering relations between them and the local community through her connections, and she has provided small businesses with free conciliation services as well as assisting with team meetings and helping to build healthy employer-employee relationships.

Tekesha understands that due to unique past experiences, it can often seem like we are speaking different languages when we come to the decision table, so it is important to have someone present who can help mediate and translate those differences. This is the service that Tekesha provides for free every day for her community, and it is one of the many things she has to offer in being elected to the Hagerstown City Council.

In 2018, Tekesha helped co-found the Hagerstown Cease Pain initiative, which aims to alleviate the suffering caused locally by addictions and violence. Created as a sister movement to the famous Baltimore Cease Fire movement, Hagerstown Cease Pain finds help for those struggling with addictions and encourages those in gangs to seek mentors. The initiative seeks to raise awareness and show love and strength in community.

Tekesha understands the difficulties of addiction faced by many in the local community and does her best every day to help rehabilitate those struggling. She holds regular writing classes at the local recovery houses in Washington County and often aids individuals in drug court. These experiences not only provide invaluable support to her community, but have also given Tekesha a deep understanding of the opioid epidemic. Because of this, Tekesha is often the first to be called when someone's loved one is affected.

Tekesha enjoys engaging with the local community through her consistent and determined activism. Often organizing events with her church, she aims to show strength in community by acting as an advocate for those without a voice and empowering the youth. Among many other things, Tekesha has helped to organize a weekly solidarity sit-in to oppose racial injustices across the country and has participated in several local marches and movements for social justice.

As a writer, artist, and poet, Tekesha has more experience with the art of expression than an average city councilor. In her art, she emphasizes the importance of everyone having a voice and being heard in their own way. Her connections with the local arts community has also given her a deep appreciation for it, and she intends to continue to support and help that community thrive when elected to city council.