Darryl Nirenberg’s Letter to Alexandria, Virginia NAACP
Darryl Nirenberg’s Letter to Alexandria NAACP
October 13, 2021
Thank you for your invitation to participate in tomorrow’s candidate forum. I regret that a business obligation will prevent me from joining you. I hope you will take a moment to share the following, which would have been my opening remarks, with those in the audience.
My name is Darryl Nirenberg and I am running for City Council. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you this evening, and share my background and talk about our city.
My father was an attorney in our small town in Upstate New York. Among his clients was the local chapter of the NAACP. It was a representation in which he took great pride.
It was not always easy growing up Jewish in a rural town with a father involved in civil rights. As a young boy, I got called some awful things and got into my share of scuffles.
But my father used the opportunity to instill in me and my brothers the importance of putting ourselves in the other person's shoes and trying to see the world through his or her eyes. I have always tried to live by this advice in my professional and personal life.
I have taken the opportunity to fully review the NAACP’s website, particularly the “Know The Issues” section. While we may not see eye to eye on all issues, if elected, I will look for areas on which we can find common ground.
And, I hope we can have an “open door” policy that goes both ways — that when issues come before the council, you will feel comfortable calling me and also be open to me consulting with you, too, as we work to make Alexandria a better city for all.
Twenty two years ago, my wife and I moved to Alexandria to establish roots and raise our two children. Since starting my campaign, I have knocked on more than 1,200 doors, finding that so many settled here in our city for the same reason as did we.
A tight-knit, caring community. Distinct and diverse neighborhoods. A history and charm that attracts tourists from around the globe. All just across the river from the nation’s capital.
It is a city where everyone counts, no matter one’s age, one’s economic status, one’s race, one’s religion, or one’s ethnic background. A community which values its diversity and recognizes it as a source of our strength.
This is what makes our city special. If I am fortunate to serve on your City Council, I will do my best to keep our city a special place by focusing on quality of life for all residents.
The late Jack Kemp, who inspired me to become involved in politics, and helped bring me to D.C. once said “economic growth doesn’t mean anything if it leaves people out.”
Let that be our guidepost and lets work together as a community to develop and implement policies that will make Alexandria more inclusive, our society more mobile and opportunity more accessible. In that way, we can best serve all who live here and set an example for the nation.
Thank you again for the invitation. I hope we will have an opportunity to work together in the future.
Sincerely,
Darryl Nirenberg