Cleopatra Draper wants to bring Roses to Roseland
Cleopatra Draper is running for 9th Ward Alderman. PHOTO PROVIDED BY CLEOPATRA DRAPER.
Draper lives in the Pullman community. She bought her home there seven years ago. She learned that there are two sides of Pullman: A predominantly Black side, and a predominantly white side. She wanted to get involved in the community but she said she felt the Black side of Pullman did not have fair representation in community organizations in the neighborhood. Hence, she created United Pullman and she defines herself as a community organizer.
Draper became frustrated because everything she would need to have a quality of life, she would have to go out of the Ward. She wondered how others were surviving from what she perceived as a lack of resources. Her home and her neighbor’s
“I can continue to keep organizing or I can move. I decided then and there, this is my home, and I’m willing to do what it takes to make it feel like home,” she said. It wasn’t just about her home, it was about the community. For her, home is where people live, and dwell and live in peace. She decided to stay and keep organizing.
Draper believes an effective Alderman cares, an effective elected official is a person that acknowledges and sees people. With every door knock, there is a story of triumph she feels is being written.
Draper believes that people can change the trajectory of their life expectancy, how they are treated and represented. She feels she is more than capable of being an Alderman and bringing forth effective leadership. She added, the people in the Ward have been longing for a change and she is willing to stay the course.
“We pay taxes just like our Northern counterparts. Why does our side of town look like this? Where is our representation? Where are we on the issues? That’s the bottom line. I believe that not only am I the right person but I am the right person for a time such as this,” she said.
In 2019, Draper challenged the incumbent Alderman Anthony Beale. She describes her grassroots campaign as strong, that is building momentum. As the only woman candidate on the ballot, she feels if she wins this time, history will be made.
Draper’s vision for the 9th Ward includes a thriving business corridor, she wants to bring resources back to the Ward.
“We have the potential to bring change, pushing South, inward to the city, with new leadership. That’s never happened. It needs to happen because you have hard working Black families suffering. We have to change that and it starts by electing new leadership,” she said.
For more information about Cleopatra Draper and her campaign, visit www.votecleopatra.com.
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