Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
There are moments when you see the next generation of leadership taking shape.
I’m incredibly proud of my cousin, Amaad Garrett.
He just completed his freshman year at Northwestern University. He arrived home in Dallas, caught up on much-needed sleep for a day, and immediately got back to work, serving in Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett’s office and testifying today at the Texas State Capitol on the importance of protecting entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and honest education.
That work ethic doesn’t surprise me.
Many in Evanston know Amaad because he didn’t just study public policy…he practiced it. He worked alongside Councilmember Clare Kelly and me in researching and developing the Circuit Breaker property tax relief proposal for long-term Evanston homeowners. He poured countless hours into research, data analysis, policy discussions, and listening to residents.
I watched him ask thoughtful questions, challenge assumptions, and do the hard work that meaningful public policy requires.
Whether people agreed with the proposal or not, no one can take away the dedication that Amaad invested in trying to help people remain in the community they helped build. Unfortunately, Mayor Daniel Biss, city manager Luke Stowe, city staff Liza Roberson Young, Councilmembers Krissie Harris, Shawn Iles, Jonathan Nieuwsma, Bobby Burns, and Juan Geracaris did not support the Circuit Breaker proposal despite the extensive research and collaboration behind it from Councilmember Clare Kelly, Amaad, myself, Cook County officials, housing experts, and state legislators. Nor did they come with a better plan for property tax relief.
Today, Amaad is taking that same commitment to public service to the state level.
This is what investing in young people looks like.
Keep going, Amaad. Evanston is watching. Dallas is watching. Texas is watching. And I have no doubt this is only the beginning.
If you’d like to learn more about the Circuit Breaker proposal, why it mattered, and what happened behind the scenes, I tell that story in my new book, Unsafe Black Voice: Exposing Evanston’s Political Machine Inside America’s First Reparations City.
Join me:
📚 Thursday, June 25, 7:00 PM at the Evanston Art Center (the event is sold out, but the Art Center remains open to the public)
📚 Sunday, June 28, 3:00 PM for my author talk hosted by YoFresh.
Proud of you, Amaad. Keep making us proud.
I know your parents are incredibly proud of you…and they should be. 💐 Congratulations, Amaad. Keep making a difference. The future is bright.
#AmaadGarrett #NorthwesternUniversity #JasmineCrockett #PublicService #Leadership #FutureLeaders #CivicEngagement #PublicPolicy #FinancialLiteracy #Entrepreneurship #Evanston #CircuitBreaker #PropertyTaxRelief #CommunityLeadership #WhereThePeopleMeetTV #UnsafeBlackVoice #Author #PoliticalAdvocacy #BlackLeadership #CommunityFirst #blackexcellence #DanielBiss
There are moments when you see the next generation of leadership taking shape.
I’m incredibly proud of my cousin, Amaad Garrett.
He just completed his freshman year at Northwestern University. He arrived home in Dallas, caught up on much-needed sleep for a day, and immediately got back to work, serving in Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett’s office and testifying today at the Texas State Capitol on the importance of protecting entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and honest education.
That work ethic doesn’t surprise me.
Many in Evanston know Amaad because he didn’t just study public policy…he practiced it. He worked alongside Councilmember Clare Kelly and me in researching and developing the Circuit Breaker property tax relief proposal for long-term Evanston homeowners. He poured countless hours into research, data analysis, policy discussions, and listening to residents.
I watched him ask thoughtful questions, challenge assumptions, and do the hard work that meaningful public policy requires.
Whether people agreed with the proposal or not, no one can take away the dedication that Amaad invested in trying to help people remain in the community they helped build. Unfortunately, Mayor Daniel Biss, city manager Luke Stowe, city staff Liza Roberson Young, Councilmembers Krissie Harris, Shawn Iles, Jonathan Nieuwsma, Bobby Burns, and Juan Geracaris did not support the Circuit Breaker proposal despite the extensive research and collaboration behind it from Councilmember Clare Kelly, Amaad, myself, Cook County officials, housing experts, and state legislators. Nor did they come with a better plan for property tax relief.
Today, Amaad is taking that same commitment to public service to the state level.
This is what investing in young people looks like.
Keep going, Amaad. Evanston is watching. Dallas is watching. Texas is watching. And I have no doubt this is only the beginning.
If you’d like to learn more about the Circuit Breaker proposal, why it mattered, and what happened behind the scenes, I tell that story in my new book, Unsafe Black Voice: Exposing Evanston’s Political Machine Inside America’s First Reparations City.
Join me:
📚 Thursday, June 25, 7:00 PM at the Evanston Art Center (the event is sold out, but the Art Center remains open to the public)
📚 Sunday, June 28, 3:00 PM for my author talk hosted by YoFresh.
Proud of you, Amaad. Keep making us proud.
I know your parents are incredibly proud of you…and they should be. 💐 Congratulations, Amaad. Keep making a difference. The future is bright.
#AmaadGarrett #NorthwesternUniversity #JasmineCrockett #PublicService #Leadership #FutureLeaders #CivicEngagement #PublicPolicy #FinancialLiteracy #Entrepreneurship #Evanston #CircuitBreaker #PropertyTaxRelief #CommunityLeadership #WhereThePeopleMeetTV #UnsafeBlackVoice #Author #PoliticalAdvocacy #BlackLeadership #CommunityFirst #blackexcellence #DanielBiss
