Hello, my name is Kamela Smith, but you can call me Kam! 

 

I’m a wife, a mother, a member of a blended family, and a woman of faith. I am not a politician but a regular citizen who believes in lifting up and speaking for the silenced, the marginalized, the voices of those vulnerable who don’t often get heard in Legislative Hall. I am not politically connected nor do I come from a wealthy family. I am simply just someone who sees the many challenges facing our community, and don’t feel like they are getting addressed in the urgent matter that they should. I am a person motivated by correcting injustice from a down up direct-line approach, that only a regular person can do, believing that we need more regular people in our legislature.  

 

I have spent my career focused on keeping the community and individuals safe in a variety of ways. This became imperative to me due to my interpersonal exposure and connection to mental health and emotional wellness. I remember feeling helpless not having the tools to support my loved one at the time when support was needed but, having experienced that, I believe that I have learned how important investing the right resources into mental health services truly is. Ever since then I’ve been working to eradicate the stigma of those with mental health issues. 

 

Alongside the work that I do around mental wellness, in my role at ChristianaCare as the Director of Community Education and Engagement, I work passionately to ensure all communities have opportunities to receive the health services they need and to break down any barriers that may prevent someone from receiving such services. Having the pleasure of working with a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, social workers, and nurses daily, I see the benefits and get a front row exposure to what effective and efficient care can look like which, is why I will fight for the right for equal access to care. 

 

I am Focused on amplifying the voices in our community. One of the primary reasons I’m running is because I keep getting drawn back to the idea of change, the need for it, how to create it, and how I can be the change agent for my community. As a James H. Gilliam, Sr. Fellow through the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, a Member of the Kalmar Nyckel Board of Trustees, the Social Action Co-Chair for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. I believe I have the tools that I need to be that agent that my community, OUR community needs.    

 

Rather than continuing the division and behind-the-scenes obstruction that so often influences our legislative process, I want to be a listener. I want to be proactively connected to the community. Only persuaded by the interest of those I serve and not the interest that only serves me. I will not conform to status quo politics nor will I compromise on the Christian-rooted value system that I believe in so firmly. I haven’t been involved in politics before and I don’t plan to start now, keeping to my philosophy, “You see a problem, you resolve that problem” I am again simply just someone who sees that change is needed and am motivated to create it!

 

Go be great!

Kam

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