Leslyn Joseph is running for city council in Ward 10. If she secures a seat, she’ll be among a very small group of racialized people who have been elected to represent Calgarians over this city’s history. You can read about Calgary’s poor track record here . A quick spoiler alert, in the 137 years that Calgary has been a city, there have been nine racialized people elected to city council.
NINE.
With this picture, it’s no wonder that the city’s public hearing on systemic racism was criticized for being somewhat performative. In fact, it was at that very public hearing that Leslyn Joseph, a founding member of Black Lives Matter YYC, announced she would be running for city council.
“We were chatting about how we would get people out to vote because we knew the election was coming up,” says Joseph. “And then I was like, ‘well, maybe one of us should run.’ ”
Joseph’s platform includes investing in arts and culture, creating affordable housing, improving safety through community revitalization, and defunding the police.
The triggering nature of ‘defund the police’
The phrase ‘defund the police’ still seems to cause panic among those who have yet to understand what it means.
Instead of recognizing the incredible size of the current policing budget and imagining what could be done with those funds, when hearing ‘defund the police,’ some immediately picture The Purge.
While the phrase ‘defund the police’ may be triggering to many, a lot of citizens can get on board with the idea of redistributing some of the Calgary Police Service budget to programs such as education and affordable housing, which is exactly what Joseph is suggesting.
Joseph sees the current policing budget as “unacceptable and irresponsible spending,” and in order to better communicate the purpose of defunding the police, she has focused her messaging on what could be done with those funds instead.
“I had to change [defund the police] to reallocation of funding,” says Joseph. “People just don’t understand the concept.”
The perception of the Northeast
As a longtime resident of the Northeast, Joseph hopes to change the public’s perception of the community.
“Everyone's like, ‘the Northeast Ward 10 is a dump, have fun trying to change it,’” says Joseph. “This is exactly why I'm doing this.”
In a classically racist way, Calgary’s Northeast is often looked down on, that is, if it’s not being completely ignored. Joseph wants to see the area celebrated for the vibrant community it is.
“We're the most culturally diverse area in Calgary,” says Joseph. “We’re ignored or avoided, and we need to be celebrated.”
Joseph hopes to bring the community together to help change the perception of the Northeast, and while she says meeting new people isn’t her specialty, her activism experience could prove to be an asset when it comes to community organizing.
Not removing her activist hat
As a community activist, Joseph has no intention of bending over backwards to fit the mold of a politician.
“I don't look like a regular candidate,” says Joseph. “I don't dress professionally, I change my hair every month, I'm covered in tattoos...no one would figure me as a politician.”
Despite not fitting the traditional (and ultra-oppressive) mold, Joseph has received tons of support from her community.
“When I was getting my signatures, people were super pumped,” says Joseph. “Even people that I wasn't expecting to be super pumped.”
Joseph is running against 10 other candidates for city council in Ward 10. Advanced polling takes place October 4 - 10th, and election day is October 18.
Though the history of Calgary’s city council is fraught with white faces, Leslyn Joseph is a beacon of melanin to look towards in the race for city council.
To learn more about Leslyn Joseph, visit leslynjoseph4ward10.com/