Natural Awakenings Twin Cities August 2020

De’Vonna Pittman,
Candidate, Hennepin County
Commissioner
Pittman is the DFL-endorsed
candidate for Hennepin County,
District 1. She is an author,
entrepreneur and long-time
employee at Hennepin County
where she serves as the Disparity
Reduction Coordinator.
The Decision to Run for Office
I decided to run to bring a different perspective, one that
I know hadn’t been interjected in Hennepin County or in
District 1 for the history of Hennepin County. As frightening
as it was to declare that I was running, I knew I had to lend
my voice, my leadership and my influence to changing systems
that weren’t serving all people. I felt it was important
to infiltrate a world that hadn’t always considered the risks
that needed to be taken to ensure a fair and equal system
that would ultimately remove biases and systemic racism.
Affordable Health Care
I support health care for all. People should not have to
be without health care because they are unemployed, or
underemployed. We should support all residents; and
when people do not have jobs, they should not be expected
to choose between food or health care. The rising cost of
medicine is really about the greed of pharmaceutical companies
and their stockholders.
I believe in the benefits of alternative and natural remedies
for optimal health. Therapeutic massages and other
methods of relieving stress or disease should be covered by
health insurance. Alternative medicines when monitored by
a physician should be considered if, and when, traditional
medicines alone are not effective.
Systemic Racism
The work I do at Hennepin County centers every day around
disparity reduction, so I am elated that this work is finally
being moved forward by a resolution declaring racism a
public health crisis. But, transparency will be important, and
Hennepin County needs to allow the community to partner to
get real solutions.
The bold move to declare racism a public health crisis
was uncomfortable for a lot of people, which is why it is
important—it forces us to act. It calls to action a series of
steps including reviewing current processes and policies
and figuring out where they go wrong. It forces us to look
at policies that negatively affect the lives of residents and
clients. Additionally, we must initiate a new tradition of
ensuring staff and community voice is built into everything
we do at Hennepin County.
My department performed an environmental scan of
all departments, initiatives and programs at Hennepin
County. I am uniquely aware of how that work interacts
with the 21 disparities that were identified. If elected,
I would direct administration and staff to begin there and
use a racial equity lens. I plan to work closely with directors,
the county administrator and the assistant county
administrators to ensure we get the change we need. The
unique insight that I bring to the table will be critical in
moving this work forward.
Jeffrey Lunde and MaryJo Melsha did not respond to
our requests to participate.
To listen to the full unedited interview, visit NATwinCities.
com. For more information, visit PeopleForPittman.com.
14 Twin Cities Edition NAtwincities.com