I’ve spent most of my political career having the opportunity to work for & with some of the most prominent Republican political names. It’s been a fascinating journey to see the various changes of the Republican Party.

I’ve also seen the good and the bad that an ideological framework presents, and that’s not relegated to just the Republican Party, but in my view, it has come to represent our entire political landscape.

I think about my time in college & former Sen. Saxby Chambliss on his re-elect campaign. I first met the late Sen. John McCain, who made his staff available to me & my friends to help us recharter a College Republican Chapter at Morehouse. He was one of our first supporters.

My friends thought I was nuts for even wanting to start a CR chapter at Morehouse during the era of Pres. Obama, but I always did things a little differently than everyone else. McCain and others helped make the chapter a reality, and the chapter grew larger than most expected.

Then I decided to run for state office to be Chair of the Georgia Association of College Republicans. I only lost by a few votes. I would’ve been the first African-American president of the association. I still think about the support I received from nearly most of the chapters.

I can’t forget my brief time with Newt working on College Republican outreach. I was only 20 in this picture at a small gathering for Newt’s Birthday. I wrote in my journal that he was always the smartest guy in the room, and it was always clear.

I think that’s when I truly realized the importance of policy and the real impact it can have. I also learned the importance of mastering the art of explaining something complex in a reductionist way & how that could coalesce people around something into a movement.

Then on to Romney/Ryan 2012 after Morehouse. I’ll never forget the crowds as Romney made his first stops with his new running mate. The below picture is from one of our trips somewhere in Virginia.

Months later in freezing Iowa after a successful campaign rally. I took many notes in my journal about Ryan & his desire to reach Black voters. He was so interested in wanting to figure out how the GOP could sincerely do it. It always stuck out to me & spoke volumes about him.

Ryan is just a good guy. No person is perfect, and politicians make mistakes, but he is definitely one of the good ones, and that was always clear from my many observations.

Then on to 2015/16 w/Dr. Carson. I remember thinking about my options to be a part of one of the campaigns, and I had a few. I ultimately went with Doc. He wasn’t a natural fit, but he was Dr. Carson, a nearly revered figure before he entered politics in many Black homes.

Politics aside, Doc was such an interesting and complex person. A genius without a doubt, but a person who truly saw things differently. There was always something unique about him and how he viewed himself in the body politic.

He’s a great husband, father, grandfather, and someone who always looked out for me and presented me with many opportunities. Sometimes, I would think for days about some of the things we would discuss or my observations in various settings.

He would eventually exist the campaign trail like so many Republicans before and after him. He left the race and I remained, running all comms for him. We definitely had a lot of fun.

Then Doc decides to accept Trump’s ask to be a part of the administration. I wrote in my journal at the time, well, this may be it for me and my time with Doc. I was never a fan of Trump; he just did represent the ideals that were so important to me my entire time in politics.

Well, I got the ask, and on we went to the transition and then confirmation. I said to myself, well, if I just stay close to Doc and look out for him as best possible and stay focused on doing a good job at HUD, all will be well. Well, boy, was I wrong...

I was sworn in as Deputy Chief of Staff at HUD, and was prepared for this new role. I met many of the senior career officials and found them all to be good, hardworking civil servants who cared deeply about their mission at the agency, and that made me happy.

They cared about the nuances of policy, which matters when serving. And then, boom, fired for criticizing Trump; I sort of laughed when it happened because I thought, damn, I should’ve followed my first mind, lol. However, it was necessary because it led to some great things.

So my time with Doc did come to an end, but to be honest, I was okay with that because nothing lasts forever, & the opportunities I have since had probably wouldn’t have come.

So as I think about all of my experiences in politics, starting in college at 18 to now at 30, I’ve seen and learned in real-time just how complex people are and just how delicate and fragile political systems are if we aren't careful.

There's more nuance to a story, & the individuals behind it than many people realize. And often, our dialogs don’t reflect that.

I’ve seen a major political party yearn to be something it hasn’t been in a long time, thus coming into conflict w/various aspects of its former self.