The Voting Gap: Everyday Challenges Faced by Marginalized Communities

Why Democracy Matters for Social Equity

Author’s Note: Winston-Salem, NC based Camel City United Indivisible produced an in-house report of a 2025 canvassing project. This article, with new interviews, is a follow-up to that report.

Throughout the summer of 2025, Camel City United Indivisible (CCUI) volunteers knocked on 1,410 doors. The impetus was learning only 61% of registered voters in the 27105 zip code, east of US Hwy. 52, cast a ballot in the 2024 General Election.

They learned some residents do not think their votes will make a difference. They feel abandoned by, and distrust, their elected officials. That distrust dates back generations.

East Winston became a segregated community in 1912 when the all white Winston Board of Alderman passed an ordinance prohibiting people of different races from living in the same neighborhood. As Winston-Salem’s strong ties to tobacco began to unravel in the 1980s, workers who lived near the factories were hit the hardest. People who did not have transportation and lacked necessary education had a difficult time getting jobs. No one was there to help.

That history shapes what canvassers heard in 2025. Many residents said they want to vote, but work and family responsibilities demand all of their time and energy. One person said, “It’s hard to think of anything else when you are fighting to keep a roof over your head, food on the table, and your family safe.”

Residents consistently identified three main areas of concern: youth (no after-school programs, mentoring, tutoring, or sports); housing (fear of displacement, boarded up homes, absentee landlords, repairs at rental homes ignored); and quality of life (public safety and infrastructure).

According to Rudy Click, CCUI’s founder, after the canvass, Camel City volunteers coordinated several small projects to help families in the area with immediate needs over the winter months. In 2026, CCUI is supporting neighborhood leaders who are building a more self-reliant community.

Fighting for Our Youth

Third-generation East Winston resident Sharon Hoggard is the founder of Castle Heights Youth Jobs and Education Workforce, a nonprofit that provides a variety of opportunities to young people. According to Hoggard, understanding and love grows as the youth interact with the other members in their community.

Another third-generation resident, Chenita Barber Johnson is concerned about the lack of activities for young people. Johnson said, “The school (Hanes-Lowrance) was closed so there are no after-school programs in the immediate area.”

Transportation is a problem for some, making it hard for residents to reach activities offered farther from the neighborhood. Johnson said a plan to turn the school into a community center fell through but the property is still owned by the Board of Education.

According to WS/FC Board of Education member (District 1) Trevonia Brown-Gaither, the community would have to raise the money to purchase the former school site. Money is a huge part of the problem in the East Winston area.

The Board of Education cannot afford to invest any more money in the area as long as school enrollment continues to decrease. School enrollment will continue to decrease as long as parents choose to place their children in other schools in hopes of a better education.

Brown-Gaither said, “We, as a school board, are not doing enough to promote our schools.” She said that if parents could see a side-by-side comparison of a public school and a charter school, they would not see any reason to relocate the students. Funding cuts for public education disproportionately hurt low-income families.

“Kids don’t get to dream anymore,” said Larry Ford. “Many of them have to go to school to eat.” Ford and James Galloway grew up in the area around Blum/Blanding Park. Ford and Galloway have seen the once vibrant park become a depressing part of the community. Galloway said he would like to see more ways for young people to enjoy the park. “Just let kids be kids for a while,” he added.

The Housing Squeeze

The City of Winston-Salem is focusing on “rebuilding” East Winston neighborhoods to attract new homeowners. Boarded up and abandoned homes are an eyesore in some areas of East Winston.

However some renters, and home owners, feel they are being pushed out of their neighborhoods by the “gentrification” outside investors are creating. With new construction homes starting at $200,000, many long-time residents are being priced out of owning their own home. The new construction also raises insurance rates and property taxes that few can afford.

According to residents, the rental properties, owned by out-of-state investment groups are being neglected. Some property owners need to repair homes they have inherited. “I can’t live in the house because it is uninhabitable without the repairs, but I can’t get a loan if I don’t live in it,” one owner said.

Another issue is property owners who have died and did not leave a legal means to dispose of their estate. According to Forsyth Commissioner Dan Besse, settling those estates is a lengthy process. Besse said he sees a path for more affordable housing, but admits in today’s political climate and with Forsyth County’s current financial concerns, it will take longer to implement.

Besse is the At-Large County Commissioner for all of Forsyth County. The two county commissioners who represent the East Winston area (District A) did not respond to requests for an interview.

Loss of Community, Loss of Quality of Life

East Winston residents are asking local officials to help provide a better quality of life, specifically better public safety. Besse supports funding community outreach programs to mentor youth and reduce gun violence.

When asked if the April shooting involving several teenagers at Leinbach Park in Winston-Salem changed the political conversation around violence, Besse said, “It proved we don’t have a school violence problem. We have a community violence problem.”

Many local groups trying to stop community violence like Rally Up Winston-Salem and Forsyth Wins need more funding and more volunteers.

Getting Involved in the Political Process

Terrick Mangle and Brandon Campbell, neighborhood activists, are frustrated with the disconnect between their neighbors’ daily struggles and the political system. Mangle said he attempted to have a conversation with his Winston-Salem City Council Member, Barbara Hanes Burke, but she was not willing to talk to him.

Burke did not respond to an interview request for this story.

Local organizations like CCUI have to work hard over the next several months to ensure people are registered to vote and get them to the polling sites. Ron Jones, a CCUI member who participated in 2025 canvassing, believes we need to do a better job educating citizens about the current political system and why they should be involved.

If we do not have a democracy, we cannot have social equity. “That’s why every vote matters. The billionaire class that now has more influence in our government than ever, never talks about those on the margins,” Jones said.

The billionaire class doesn’t face the everyday struggles of average citizens. They are not concerned about keeping a roof over their head and food on the table. There is a wide financial gap between the billionaire class and the average citizen, but there is also a voting gap.

Average citizens outnumber the billionaires, and their votes can override that agenda. Community leaders believe that by working together and showing up at the polls East Winston can improve life for everyone and let kids dream again.