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today was a great day!

4/26/2025

What a day on the Westside!
We celebrated connection, community, and new possibilities at our Greenway Grand Opening at Martin Luther King Park in Enderly Park. Enderly Park and Seversville is linked in a way that brings us closer together. 🌳🚶🏽‍♀️
This project isn’t just concrete and trail signs — it’s an investment in us. A reminder that when we build together, we rise together. 💪🏽✨
Afterward, I stopped by the Westside Fish Fry at the West Complex on W. Trade Street — nothing better than good food and even better people.
Thank you to the Greater Enderly Park Neighborhood Association for allowing me the honor to serve as your president. 🙏🏽
We are building community, living community, being in community block by block.

April 26th, 2025

4/26/2025

Fun fact: In 2019, I got together with a few friends to bring financial literacy to my daughter's (then) middle school. We had to wait until after the pandemic but we finally got it launched and students have continued the program.

I only participated in the full program in the first iteration and today I got the opportunity to speak to the kids and see all the tweaks and fun activities that have been crafted. Shawneke Wilson referred a very talented, smart kind brother named Al Riddick to us. If you are looking for materials I highly recommend Al! We use the book (Money $mart Teen$), workbook, and facilitator guide to teach the kids.

Danae Diller helped bring financial resources to the project.
Together we designed activities, recruited volunteers, and made magic happen.
I don't like to post all the things I do but today was extra special and I needed to share this with you.

Setting out on the campaign trail again feels different this time because of you.

4/25/2025

It feels so much deeper and stronger than before.

Every message, positive thought, prayer, and word of encouragement you’ve sent reminds me why this work matters.

Thank you for standing with me again, believing in the vision, and pushing me forward.

Reimagining Education. Reshaping Possibilities. Rising Together.

Let’s get it. 💪🏽

Because when we build together, we build better

4/23/2025

Our schools reflect our values, our vision, and our willingness to fight for every child!

I’m running for the District 2 School Board seat because I believe in public education that works for the people, shaped by the people.

We need classrooms where educators are respected and supported, where students are seen and empowered, and families are invited to be partners in the work.

Policies must be rooted in justice, care, and community.
I want to end politics as usual.

Join us.
Volunteer.
Donate.
Share your voice.
Walk this road with us.
#vote4shamaiye
#Red4Ed
#EducationFirst
#CharlotteStrong

This Campaign Is About Us

4/21/2025

From community halls to school hallways, my journey is rooted in love for our children, families, our educators, and our future.

It’s pointless to run for office just to run! I’m honored to be running for The District 2 School Board and I’ll make a difference and do the work that matters.

This campaign is about us and our collective power, our shared hope, our belief that public education can and should serve every child with dignity and excellence.

If you believe that too, I ask for your support.

Volunteer. Donate. Pray. Send good energy.
Let’s build the future our kids deserve. Together.

#vote4shamaiye
#Red4Ed
#EducationFirst
#CharlotteStrong

April 20th, 2025

4/20/2025

A Day in D2 is a GREAT Day!

Yesterday was a beautiful reminder of the power of community and the leaders who make it move. 💪🏾

First, I stopped by a youth-led prayer and park picnic filled with joy, purpose, and play. The kids brought the spirit, and our youth leaders and Pastor Sharkeeta Stevenson showed what it means to lead with love. The Easter egg hunt, family games, and moments of prayer were a whole vibe — shoutout to the village raising the next generation with intention and care.

Then I had the honor of joining Jackie Lewis, Juan Hall, Blanche Penn, and Evelyn Poe and the phenomenal teams from Angels of No Mercy, Break Every Chain, and Their Voices at University Park. Y’all. Easter baskets, brand-new outfits, pizza, games, giveaways. The works! These leaders showed up and showed OUT for the Southwest Blvd Apartments. No red tape, just real love.

To every organizer, volunteer, and community caregiver: thank you. Y’all are the heartbeat of Charlotte. I’m not just running for school board, I’m running with you.

#Receipts #EducationFirst #RunWithPurpose #D2Strong #vote4shamaiye #CommunityLed #ForThePeople

I love me some #teamhaynes

4/17/2025

My campaign team is a great force
These folks help me with the work, plan late into the night, and root every step in love for our community.
They show up with heart, hustle, and purpose, and they believe in what’s possible when WE lead.
This campaign NOT about me. It’s about building real power. Yeah, and we keep showing up.
Let’s Go!

December 02nd, 2023

12/2/2023

What do the next steps look like?

I have been asked by so many of you, "What's next?". The what's next for me is that I keep going, keep showing up, stay involved and push forward every platform issue I offered you this past election.

I said YES to the Bonds!

I am extremely glad the bond referendum passed and I want to start bringing vital information about the bonds to the community. A little known fact is that CMS has a committee called the Bond Oversight Committee which I've had the privilege of serving on since 2019. The purpose of this committee is to review each bond package and to ensure that as funding is allocated by the county, our school district is completing projects accordingly. I want to make sure that the next time we have a bond referendum, you are informed and able to understand every aspect of bond related projects.

Community Schools Model

Next steps look like the continued exploration and advancement of the Community Schools Model. Since 2021, the organization I started (The Charlotte Community Think Tank), under my leadership has been partnering with Communities in Schools. Both organizations are exploring the model in two CMS Schools - Hidden Valley Elementary and Martin Luther King Middle School with grant funds from the Belk Foundation and The United Way of Greater Charlotte. We hope our efforts will lead to several full implementations

There are still some policies that need to be strengthened in order to bring this phenomenal framework to CMS. I'll continue to work with the school board to achieve this goal.

Advocate for Standard Disciplinary Interventions

On the campaign trail you heard me talk about Restorative Justice Practices. I believe in restorative justice and the promise it holds for schools and our community. I want to move it forward but I learned something new in the process of supporting RJP. I learned how many parents do not understand what interventions are in place in the schools currently. This poses an even bigger issue. My plan is to dive deep and raise questions about what the interventions are, are they consistent, and are they proactive vs. reactive. Are we sending children through processes that criminalize behavior? These are questions I really have to answer before pursuing RJV. I think you understand the point.

Advance Arts & Enrichment

Due to high stakes testing, we have doubled down on becoming a community hyper focused on academics and less attuned to the social emotional needs of children. Arts and enrichment move children forward academically and provide more well rounded students. I hope to be appointed to a board to make an impact. I will work with the equity committee to bring consistency to schools that need it the most. I will press for more equity and identify solutions.

Decentralize Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

This is the one platform issue that I believe I will have very little impact on without being on the board. However, I'll continue to advocate for this because I believe it will move equity, advance students, and lead to more accountability.

After the election, I learned so much more than I already knew, and I am so grateful for the experience. I promise to remain active just as I have been faithfully since 2016.

I plan to run for District 2 School Board in 2025! I hope to receive your support now and moving forward.

VIEW ORIGINAL PLATFORM STATEMENT

We stand tall!

10/12/2023

The Mecklenburg County CMS Board of Education Democratic Party Endorsements: What You Need to Know
On September 30, 2023, the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party took the unprecedented step of endorsing only three CMS BOE candidates, under the rationale of not wanting voters to be deceived by another DINO (Democrat in Name Only) or split votes among the many registered Democrats running for three At-Large CMS BOE seats, giving a slim advantage to Republican candidates. The “endorsement selection process” began with a controversial questionnaire and ended with a confusing, and some say biased, weighted scoring system.

In the process, I lost that endorsement by one vote.
In fact, support among the top four candidates was nearly evenly split.
We are disappointed but our campaign will work hard to earn your vote.

LET ME RE-INTRODUCE MYSELF…

My name is Shamaiye Haynes, candidate for one of three At-Large CMS BOE seats. I’m excited to share with you why I am devoting even more of my years of leadership experience and grassroots organizing to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, scholars, and families. My parents, both grassroots organizers and community leaders, taught me to give back from a very early age. My husband and I moved to Charlotte in 2012 with two of our school-aged children where we enrolled them in our neighborhood, Title I School. I witnessed first-hand the many needs of families in our community, the glaring gaps in resources, and the opportunity to make a difference for not only my scholars but all community scholars.

What I know is that schools are stronger, and students prosper when communities lend their voices and work together to achieve well-communicated goals. Since Charlotte became my home, I have partnered with communities to found The Charlotte Community Think Tank (2017), volunteered my time and talents to fill gaps where I could, and served on critically important committees to positively impact the quality of education for CMS families.

My dedicated service to education has become a movement, not for me but for our future leaders. I have consistently risen above partisan politics in my leadership roles and devoted my time and talents to issues our community has told me matters most to them–equity, transparency, and a commitment to providing a safe, nurturing environment for our scholars.
With 14 candidates competing for three seats, I am distinguishable by my consistent leadership and steadfast dedication to my community. I am Shamaiye Haynes. I am experienced. I am committed. I am the voice that families need on the CMS BOE to deliver the positive change to education that is needed, and I ask for your support and your vote during the general election on November 7, 2023. Please tell your friends about my campaign and please reach out if I can answer any questions or be of service.

“Education makes a people easy to lead but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.” —Peter Brougham

IT'S ALWAYS A PRIVILEGE TO BE PART OF THE SARAH STEVENSON TUESDAY FORUM

9/25/2023

I officially said YES to the Bonds!

View Tuesday Morning Forum

MS Board at-large candidates Juanrique Hall, Claire Covington, Bill Fountain, Shamaiye Haynes and Annette Albright addressed questions at the Forum this morning. Peggy Capehart and Omar Harris did not attend. More candidates have been invited for Sept. 26.
The contents of this video may help inform voters about their choices to fill three at-large seats on the nine-member CMS board. When a video from the Sept. 26 session is available, it will also be posted below. But in all likelihood the two banks of candidates will not be answering the same questions, and few direct comparisons will be possible. There is also no amount of footnoting that could offer voters enough information about the accuracy or context of what was said – or what was not said. So what information might a voter gain from the video to help inform impressions in the run-up to an important community-wide election?
– After listening, can you define who each person is, and why they are running? Or who one or two of them are and why they are running?
– When were candidates offering nuanced answers? When were they dodging?
– After listening, do you have a sense of what each candidate believes is behind the extraordinary, nearly 100% turnover in Board of Education membership in the last months? Do candidates offer a vision that you think will rebuild voter support for the school district’s board in the future?
–If the election were today and you had only one vote, who would get that one vote and why?
In the video below, a portion of the video image during a response by Annette Albright is covered by a still picture, when the City of Charlotte’s pan-tilt-zoom Webex video camera went panning off stage left to display the wall blocking the view of beautiful Mountain Island Lake.