Exit Interview: Keisha Shropshire

Today we're continuing to talk with outgoing ANC commissioners. Here are responses from Keisha Shropshire, who until recently was commissioner for SMD 5202, which covers most of the northern third of Trinidad. Shropshire held the seat for three terms and did not run for a fourth. Earlier this month, Salvador Sauceda-Guzman took over in her place.

Why did you originally want to be the ANC and for how long have you served?

In 2014, I ran for ANC SMD 5D02 for four reasons:

1. To serve as the voice for the neighborhood and an advocate of SMD 5D02 Trinidad residents (residents on the north side of Trinidad which at the time represented a large amount of transient residents who rented apartment style homes, had lower percentage of long-term homeownership and consisted of a highly visible homeless population along the Mt Olivet and Montello Ave Corridor).
2. To educate, engage and empower residents to share their concerns, needs and experiences.
3. To help residents navigate DC government offices, resources and programs.
4. To build and leverage community and business partnerships to assist residents.
   

What are you most proud of accomplishing in your time as a commissioner?

• Helping Trinidad residents to resolve problems during times of need and empowering individuals to speak up and act on issues such as housing and tenant/landlord issues, zoning and development, public works and bulk trash dumping, speed bumps, public safety and crime, abandoned properties, etc.
  
  
• Serving as a catalyst for change and collaboration within my SMD and among the larger Commission as a whole. I established a forum for SMD residents to meet regularly on a monthly basis to learn about DC government, community organizations, prevention and public safety programs, resources and services, employment opportunities; network with other residents and DC agency contacts; and to address their community concerns.
  
  
• Navigating and becoming adept in the programs, practices and policies of various DC government agencies and other organizations including Mayors Office of Community Relations and Services, Office of Zoning Board of Zoning Adjustment Commission, Alcoholic Beverage Regulations Administration, Office of the Tenant Advocate, Metropolitan Police Department Fifth District, Department of Health, Office of Planning, Office of Aging and Seabury Resources of Aging, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Public Works, etc.
  
  
• Building relationships and leveraging partnerships with and between community members and business owners.
  
  
• Hosting community events, block parties and Trinidad Day in partnership with local business owners and experiencing the joy on the faces of children, adults and seniors who attended.
  
  
• Serving as ANC 5D Treasurer and as Visionary and Co-Chair of the ANC 5D Zoning and Development Committee.

Is there anything that, looking back, you would have done differently?

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a servant leader in ANC SMD 5D02 community and will continue nurturing the relationships and partnerships established throughout my tenure. During my six-year tenure, I completely immersed myself wholeheartedly into serving the constituents SMD 5D02 which resulted in many rewarding accomplishments and successful outcomes, and at some point, I experienced burnout. No one person can solve everyone’s problems; however, you can equip others with essential resources and empower them to use their voices as community advocates to impact change – one resident at a time. Looking back over the years, the one thing I would have done differently is to take more personal care breaks, be much kinder to myself and celebrate successes often for what I accomplished individually and collectively with SMD neighbors and my fellow commissioners as a whole.

Why did you choose not to run again for the next term?

2020 was a very difficult year for me… but more importantly, it was a year which caused me to reflect on my life goals and dreams, and to recalibrate what matters most at this time in my life. Given this realization, I decided not to run again and to shift my focus toward my personal growth and development and to pursue my doctorate.

What are your hopes for your SMD, and for the whole ANC, going forward?

For SMD 5D02, I hope for continued progress and change, and that residents remain aware and engaged in community activism and continue to speak up for those residents whose voices are often less vocal or not heard at all. I wish for residents to continue to educate themselves about the changing landscape of our Trinidad community and participate in planning, zoning and development activities; work with Councilmembers and the Mayor’s Office to enhance access to fair, adequate and affordable housing throughout Trinidad neighborhood, and identify viable solutions to current homeless issues; help to reduce social and health inequities and food insecurities; acquire essential resources and implement a program to help those residents who work, play or live on the fringes of Trinidad community and those who experience homelessness, involve themselves in sex work, and/or deal with behavioral and mental health and drug use abuse issues.

I hope that the ANC 5D Commission continues to serve as a trustworthy, communal resource for residents to educate themselves about community activities, development projects, new programs and policies, community funding opportunities, and a venue for building partnerships to improve where we work, live and play.

Would you ever consider running again?

I always keep my options open.

Photo courtesy of Keisha Shropshire.