We Are District 18

As a historian and a journalist, I’ve dedicated my life to telling the stories that confront both the current and historical realities facing our community. And let me be clear: if my words don’t make you think—

or piss you off—I didn’t do my job.

So today, allow me to spit a little fire and brimstone about  what’s going on in my beloved District 18.

I’ve spent decades highlighting the best of the best in our community—people whose names are etched into the fabric of our history and culture.

I remember sitting at Mayor Kathy Whitmire’s kitchen table as a child while my mother, Elouise, worked as her housekeeper. I ate sandwiches there, watching the mechanics of political strategy unfold before my young eyes. That was my introduction to the power behind closed doors.

I grew up riding my bike down Studewood streets, playing double Dutch in Acres Homes, and having Sunday dinners in Sunnyside—ham hocks, collard greens, cornbread, teacakes, all washed down with purple Kool-Aid. Those were the moments that taught me the spirit of our people.

But as I grew older, driving through the same neighborhoods I loved, I got mad. I got sad. I got motivated. I saw firsthand how our communities were stripped of their wealth, their dignity, and their rightful piece of the pie.

I heard the raw truth over plates of red beans and rice at senior meetings in Cuney Homes. I found purpose volunteering at S.H.A.P.E. Community Center—reading, listening, learning. And I’ve never stopped fighting for our people since. District 18, we have always given. And when we couldn’t give, they still took from us.

“To whom much is given, much is required.”
Luke 12:48.

It’s time to stop begging for our money.

It’s time to stop accepting crumbs from our own table.

Now it’s time to have the leadership that fights for what is rightfully ours.

I am running for Congress not because I want to sit in the seat—

but because I want to make that seat work for you.

It’s time to demand—not ask—for our fair share.

It’s time to remind them: 

We got the money. Now we take the power.

Vote Tj Baker for Congress.
Your Voice – My Commitment.