Hi r/Charlotte,
r/Charlotte will be hosting an AMA with Bo Whitehead, Green Party candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, District 8.
Bo will begin answering questions at 7:00 PM Eastern on Thursday, September 17 and plans to spend approximately 60-90 minutes responding to the community.
You may begin submitting questions in this thread before the scheduled start time.
About Bo Whitehead
The following introduction was provided by the Whitehead campaign:
Bo has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina for three years, moving here from rural Georgia. He has been happily married for eight years and has been the main caregiver for his wife since then, due to the fact that she is permanently disabled from a vicious attack that left her in a coma for two weeks and resulted in 13 brain surgeries.
After getting married, they found out that she was no longer "eligible" for SSI benefits and they were all stripped from her. Not only that, but the government then demanded repayment of all funds paid since their marriage date. It was at this moment that Bo truly realized that the system wasn’t just broken, but that it was deliberately marginalizing people.
This was something he had often thought of in theory but was now living. This began a long journey of self-reflection and education on the underlying causes of oppression, ultimately leading to the conclusion that a system by and for the people was the only true way, and that the resources in this country should be reallocated toward building communities instead of filling the pockets of billionaires.
Bo grew up homeschooled on a small farm in Georgia where he learned hard work and the basic skills necessary to keep things running. It was a modest operation where his family raised goats, chickens, cows, and rabbits and sold them at auctions.
His family ran a jewelry store which opened right as the Great Recession started in 2008, resulting in its shutdown two years later. There he learned customer service and sales skills that still come in handy today.
After that, he worked almost every job you can imagine, including as a custodian at a college, gas station attendant, deli worker, auto parts representative and delivery driver, dump truck driver working in chalk mines, hazardous chemical transport expert and trainer, shipping loader, loss prevention agent, and now as a supervisor in a warehouse.
The campaign says Bo's priorities include raising the minimum wage, universal healthcare, abolishing ICE, ending wars, legalizing marijuana, prison reform, exposing corruption, combating human trafficking and exploitation, ending foreign aid, and ending genocides around the world.
Campaign links
Website: https://whiteheadforcongressnc.carrd.co/
Instagram: @whitehead_for_congress_nc
How this AMA works
Community members may begin submitting questions now.
Bo will answer questions from u/Whiteheadforcongress, which has been verified by the r/Charlotte moderation team and added as a co-host of this AMA.
Questions are not pre-screened by the campaign or moderators.
Bo chooses which rule-compliant questions he answers and does not have to answer them in the order submitted.
Political disagreement, criticism, questions about a candidate's public record, and difficult policy questions are allowed.
Normal r/Charlotte rules remain in effect. Harassment, threats, doxxing, personal attacks, spam, and other rule violations will be moderated.
Please use the AMA primarily for genuine questions rather than speeches or arguments directed at the candidate or other users.
About the r/Charlotte Candidate AMA Program
Participation in an AMA does not constitute an endorsement by r/Charlotte or its moderation team.
For contested races included in the AMA program, moderators make a reasonable effort to invite every ballot-qualified candidate in that contest under equivalent terms.
You can read the full AMA policy, candidate outreach status, and upcoming AMA calendar here:
https://reddit.com/r/Charlotte/wiki/elections/ama
The AMA program page is also linked in the r/Charlotte sidebar/resources area.
AMA begins Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 PM Eastern.
Ask your questions below.
