Darryl Childers

Background

About Darryl Childers

I grew up in a neighborhood stricken by poverty. It was one of two predominately Black neighborhoods in China Grove, North Carolina. My neighborhood was hit hard, not only by the factory closings that affected many small towns in our state, but also by a war on drugs that resulted in few two-parent households and a community slowly being crushed by the weight of the criminal justice system. I was lucky. I lived in a home with two parents who struggled but were always able to make ends meet. My mother persuaded the director of the Head Start program in our neighborhood to allow me to attend the program a year early. Both of my parents often worked nights but were able to pull together a village of neighbors, grandparents, and friends to look after my two siblings and me. Both of my parents eventually went back to school and received college degrees. I have been fortunate to get a wonderful education at two prestigious colleges, and I have not only been able to dedicate my life to service, but also make a decent living while doing it. I am, as they say, my ancestors’ wildest dreams. None of this was easy and we did not do any of it alone. Government-funded programs, nonprofit organization support, and charitable giving all played a part in my family’s success. To contribute solutions to the pervasive problems I witnessed growing up and ensure more people can access the opportunities they deserve, I have spent much of my career engaged in direct service to communities across the state. I am naturally curious, and I love meeting new people, listening to them, and learning what matters most to them. Whether it was teaching teenagers about reproductive health, fielding calls from uninsured immigrants in need of healthcare, or convening community members to design a new grant program based on their expressed needs, I served people by listening and working with them to find solutions. In my current role, the scale is different, but I am still working with communities to develop effective solutions to challenging and often systemic issues. My past experiences, both personal and professional, inform my understanding of the problems and solutions in front of me.