Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alison Beale. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Alison thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
I’m a suburban mom of two little girls and a former teacher and I decided to take the risk of running for State House. I never set out to be a politician…but I bought my daughter Bennett, who is in preschool, a bulletproof backpack following the Covenant shooting. I remember the day I bought it; I told her we were ordering a new backpack and let her pick the pattern. She picked blue dinosaurs. I paid extra for it to withstand assault rifle bullets. I paid extra for it to be lighter, but it was still too heavy for her. So for now, I moved the bulletproof insert to my diaper bag. That way, if I’m out with both of my girls and there is a shooting, I can use my body to cover one of them and throw the bag over the other. I’m no longer willing to simply accept these feelings of anger and helplessness anymore, so I knew I had to step up and run for office – especially in the midst of Tennesseans coming together to create a movement toward change. The risk of running seems small compared to the risk of allowing our safety, well-being, public schools, and freedoms to continue to deteriorate under our state government. While I won’t know the election results until November, I can say with confidence that the trajectory of my life has changed. I’ve built new community, connected by the shared purpose of advocating for the best interests of all Tennesseans. I’ve discovered strengths I didn’t know I had. And I’ve committed to working, in whatever capacity I am able, toward change in our state.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve only been involved in politics in an official capacity since deciding to run for office last year, however I’ve been an activist for 16 years, which has entailed maintaining a presence at the Capitol, communicating with legislators, and advocating for/against legislation. My most prominent role as an activist was with The Akilah Dasilva Foundation, where I was on the board and assisted Shaundelle Brooks with running the foundation from 2020 until I began my run for office.
I’m running with the awareness that there are people out there who know more than me about everything; people who have been doing the work in our communities, who have faced obstacles I will never understand, and who care deeply about various issues. Keeping an open line of communication and seeking out guidance and feedback from our leaders, officials, and stakeholders will be critical to our success as a state. I’m representing an entire district of people, and in order to do that with authenticity and integrity, I plan to listen to and learn from as many perspectives as possible. I’m a mom of two young girls (4 and 22 months) and a former teacher, so I’m coming into this with unparalleled motivation to protect my kids and all kids. I intend to view policy through an equitable, trauma-informed lens, which our legislature is currently missing.
My top three issues I am focusing on are gun safety, public education, and reproductive rights. These issues poll with widespread bipartisan support for a reason; they affect everyone in some way – especially young voters. Voters under 36 are of reproductive age and need access to reproductive healthcare and many have young children in our public schools. With gun violence as the leading cause of death for kids in Tennessee and 91% of TN kids enrolled in our public schools, these issues are top of mind for most young parents.
A major part of my platform is drawing attention to the fact that all injustices are connected and disparities are predictable. Our “free” country isn’t free for everyone – not the LGBTQ+ community who simply want equal rights and to live peacefully, not those living in poverty under systems that prevent them from escaping it, not women who lack bodily autonomy, not children who are doing lockdown drills at school or people who worry about being shot wherever they go, not people who can’t access affordable healthcare, and certainly not Black and Brown people who experience police brutality, poverty, educational inequality, and healthcare and environmental injustice at higher rates. I commit to using my voice to uplift people who are oppressed and advocate for the equality and equity that is needed for systemic change.
Having children of my own is the biggest blessing, and I’m so proud that my girls will one day understand that when everything was falling apart in our state, their mom stepped up to do something about it. What sets me apart from a typical politician is simply that I’m not one. I’m a mom, teacher, and Tennessean who wants to make a difference, and my platform will always be authentic and with the best interest of Tennessee kids and families at heart.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The past few years, I’ve been unlearning the reflex of viewing people and issues through a polarizing, black and white lens. The media and the current state of politics in our country have created polarization on levels I haven’t experienced before. It became easy to think in black and white – “if someone believes this, they must be this” or simply avoiding people based on their beliefs. Unlearning this reflex has allowed me to begin seeing the humanity of people first. I’m able to authentically say that I’m running to represent everyone and that I want to listen and learn from everyone.
Tennesseans are way more united than we are led to believe. I believe in transparency in politics and that transparency will lead to unity, understanding, and change. I’m hopeful once people understand that those in power benefit from our division but the people never do, we’ll realize that our strength lies in our unity. I’m running a “love your neighbor” campaign focused on unity and caring for others. When talking to community members, it’s clear that people are tired of hating each other. The last several years have been contentious, but the extreme division is exhausting and unsustainable. People on both sides of the aisle are worried about being able to afford to live, having basic rights, high-quality schools, and making sure our kids are safe. Our current GOP representatives aren’t representing ANY of us well. My desire to listen to and learn from all perspectives is genuine, so I’m running a campaign to prove that it’s possible to have firmly held personal values AND move forward together.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
While a campaign isn’t exactly a business, the closest thing to a cofounder/business partner would be my campaign manager. In the early stages of considering running for office, I mentioned the possibility to a few people who I worked with in gun violence prevention advocacy. One of them ran into my now campaign manager, Megan Lange, and let her know he heard of someone wanting to run in Sumner County. She tracked me down on Facebook, sent me a message and set up a time for us to meet. Her determination of recruiting candidates and campaign staff is second to none, and once she found me I knew I’d be running. I share this story because she absolutely needs to be highlighted for the work she is doing. She’s taking a democratic political landscape with little to no infrastructure in our state and finding candidates, managing campaigns, training campaign staff, and creating a powerful network. She is single-handedly changing democratic politics in Tennessee and I’m eternally grateful for her.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alisonbfortn.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alisonbfortn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlisonBforTN/
- Twitter: https://x.com/alisonbfortn
Image Credits
Marshall Cunningham