By Charlee Douglas,
Special to the AFRO
Eboni-Rose Thompson has announced her candidacy for the Ward 7 Council seat currently occupied by Vincent Gray (D) who has been in office since 2004.
From attending Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) meetings with her grandparents to becoming a community advocate, Thompson has watched Ward 7 evolve in its own way.
Hailing from the Ft. Dupont neighborhood, Thompson announced her candidacy for Ward 7 on Nov. 16, which in her eyes is one step “toward providing her home with adequate support and resources.”
“I knew that was one way to be of service to your community, so I have always looked for opportunities like that to be of service,” said Thompson.
Thompson earned a degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania with a double minor in international relations and Hispanic studies. Her plans then were to become a part of the Foreign Service to become a diplomat, however, she was also given the opportunity to work for D.C. Public Schools during the process.
“I was the kid that my mom probably thought was not going to come back,” said Thompson, now a candidate for a council seat in her hometown.
The process of becoming part of the Foreign Service made Thompson realize that her calling was right at home.
“What does it look like to go someplace else and be of service when there is enough that I could and should be doing here?” said Thompson. “I literally could have gone anywhere in the world, but I chose to be here.”
The ANC meetings she used to attend as a child were later conducted by Thompson as she was elected to the commission after graduating from college in 2008. Throughout three terms, she managed to secure $6.7 million to modernize Benning Stoddert Recreation Center, support the openings of the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation and Nationals Baseball Academy in addition to successfully negotiating $100,000 in community benefits funding to support the residents of ANC 7F.
Sheila Carson-Carr, a member of the ANC who worked during the same time as Thompson in addition to her grandmother and aunt. Her first impression of working with Thompson was noticing how she was dedicated to the people and “saw what a problem was and tried to solve it.”
“She gets things done, it’s not just a lot of talk,” said Carson-Carr. “And that’s what the residents of Ward 7 need. Someone who’s going to fight for Ward 7 and the city.”
At one point the community was in need of a new recreation center. After taking away the pool and other playground equipment, Thompson stepped in to create a new center, while making sure it was in proper care.
Carson-Carr says although the city could not afford to bring the pool back, it received a spray park area since the next one available for families is nearly 15 blocks away on Ridge Road.
Advocating for children in the community is something Thompson has prioritized while serving on the Board of Education for the District. Since 2012, she has served as the Chair of the Ward 7 Education Council which she describes as a “full-circle” moment coming home to work for the elementary school she and her mother attended as children.
“It taught me a lot about what families need outside of education to be successful,” said Thompson. “I dealt with things that range from ‘Hey, can you help me understand my kid got suspended today, I’m getting this notice and I don’t know why?’ to ‘We had someone break into our house and steal everything– including the kid’s uniform– can you help me get new uniforms the next day?”
Thompson also gained experience with Ward 7 residents while working for DCPS at Plummer Elementary School. During her time on the board she helped keep Smothers Elementary School open, represented Ward 7 on Mayor Bowser’s committee to reopen schools during COVID-19 and advocated for millions of dollars for “at-risk” funding resources.
“We have really a whole range of positive things about us that don’t get showcased,” said Thompson. “If there was anything I wanted people to know [about Ward 7], is that both we are beautiful and a diverse community in our own way.”
Adrian Polite, a resident of Ward 7, reflected on the first time he met Thompson in 2015 and instantly found someone who was aligned with the same vision.
“It’s been inspiring to see Eboni-Rose roll up her sleeves and get to work for Ward 7,” said Polite. “We both grew up in Ward 7, left for college and came back to Ward 7 as public servants. To see the dedication, especially when it comes to education, is powerful.”
Polite, after returning home in 2012, had two younger brothers still in DCPS. After his brothers took advantage of the No Child Left Behind Program, he noticed the inequity within the neighborhood schools in Ward 7.
“To see someone with the born and breed in the ward with skill, diplomacy and technical knowledge to choose to apply that in the public sector was, and is, commendable,” said Polite.
Thompson says that perception of the city isn’t always the reality. During college, many of her classmates saw the nation’s capital as a place of opportunity and where everyone wanted to move to.
“That’s just not the way a lot of the people who I grew up with and went to elementary, middle and high school look at D.C.,” said Thompson.
She says one of the most important things for her is to make sure to invest in the people who have been a part of the community and have what they need. As the area grows, the importance of welcoming new neighbors is one thing, she says, but making sure the people who want to stay here have “viable pathways not to survive, but thrive” in the community.
“I know very well what the council can do and should do for the Ward 7 community,” said Thompson. “I’m at a point in my life where I’m willing and able to lean in and do the work.”
For more information on Thompson’s campaign, visit her official website, www.Ebonirosefor7.com, or her social media @eboni_roset or Eboni-Rose Thompson on X, formerly known as Twitter.
