Humans of Duke Sanford - Humans of Duke Sanford

In the spirit of Carnival season: “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” ⚜️ ⚜️

I’m from Mobile, Alabama, the birthplace of Mardi Gras. I grew up going to parades and watching my parents prepare for the ball of the week. The season was filled with family gatherings and parties. Extended family may not come home for Thanksgiving, but they always came back for Mardi Gras.

Before you’re allowed on the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association court, young ladies must first make their debut. I was a sophomore at Spelman College when it was time to prepare for my debutante ball. I came home almost every weekend for rehearsals and fittings. Looking back, I remember a part of me feeling rebellious toward the tradition. It just felt so antiquated at the time. But in the end, I was enchanted by the lure of it all and was proud to be a part of such a cherished Mobile tradition.

I returned to school with a renewed sense of duty toward my Spelman community. After learning about how rampant food insecurity was on college campuses, I joined student activists in petitioning the College to reallocate food swipes to students in need. When that failed to gain traction, I led a 6-day hunger strike that received nationwide attention. We soon landed a meeting with leaders at Airmark and the President of the College, who agreed to commit upwards of 30,000 meals each year to students at both Spelman and Morehouse colleges.

Immediately following that achievement, I was awarded Youth Leader of the Year by Al Sharpton and his civil rights organization, National Action Network. That experience cemented my passion for public policy. After graduation, I joined Doug Jones’ campaign as a Policy Director for the Southeast Region. Again, my connection to the community was instrumental in supporting Jones’ campaign in Mobile during Mardi Gras. I loved marrying those two worlds.

As a child, all I thought about was what came next or how I would leave Alabama to make my mark elsewhere. Now I realize the most important mark I’ll ever make is the one on my hometown. I’ll always be proud to be a Mobilian. - Lillian Thomas, MPP‘23

In the spirit of Carnival season: “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” ⚜️ ⚜️

I’m from Mobile, Alabama, the birthplace of Mardi Gras. I grew up going to parades and watching my parents prepare for the ball of the week. The season was filled with family gatherings and parties. Extended family may not come home for Thanksgiving, but they always came back for Mardi Gras.

Before you’re allowed on the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association court, young ladies must first make their debut. I was a sophomore at Spelman College when it was time to prepare for my debutante ball. I came home almost every weekend for rehearsals and fittings. Looking back, I remember a part of me feeling rebellious toward the tradition. It just felt so antiquated at the time. But in the end, I was enchanted by the lure of it all and was proud to be a part of such a cherished Mobile tradition.

I returned to school with a renewed sense of duty toward my Spelman community. After learning about how rampant food insecurity was on college campuses, I joined student activists in petitioning the College to reallocate food swipes to students in need. When that failed to gain traction, I led a 6-day hunger strike that received nationwide attention. We soon landed a meeting with leaders at Airmark and the President of the College, who agreed to commit upwards of 30,000 meals each year to students at both Spelman and Morehouse colleges.

Immediately following that achievement, I was awarded Youth Leader of the Year by Al Sharpton and his civil rights organization, National Action Network. That experience cemented my passion for public policy. After graduation, I joined Doug Jones’ campaign as a Policy Director for the Southeast Region. Again, my connection to the community was instrumental in supporting Jones’ campaign in Mobile during Mardi Gras. I loved marrying those two worlds.

As a child, all I thought about was what came next or how I would leave Alabama to make my mark elsewhere. Now I realize the most important mark I’ll ever make is the one on my hometown. I’ll always be proud to be a Mobilian. – Lillian Thomas, MPP‘23
#Carnival #MardiGras #HumansofDukeSanford #MPP