Social Justice Advocate Mariah Moore to Run For New Orleans City Council

Moore's progressive platform will focus on affordable housing, employment opportunities, and equitable access to public transportation

Photo courtesy of Moore for District D

As a lifelong New Orleanian, Mariah Moore has a passion for the city. She’s also personally familiar with the struggles that many New Orleanians have faced with securing decent-paying employment, stable and affordable housing, and the sometimes unreliable access to public transportation.

“What I’ve experienced is that leadership is not present for everyday, hardworking New Orleanians. They don’t have access to the leaders, and they don’t feel like they have a voice,” Moore said. “That’s why I’m running, because I am a community leader that is truly rooted in community, and I work alongside the brilliant people of not only my district but of my city each and every day.”

Moore is running for the New Orleans City Council District D seat. The current incumbent, Jared Brossett is term-limited, so the race is wide open. District D encompasses Gentilly, the Upper Ninth Ward, the upper entrance of New Orleans East, and parts of Treme, Bywater, and Lakeview.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Moore - a National Organizer at the Transgender Law Center - teamed up with fellow organizer Milan Sherry to found House of Tulip, a nonprofit collective that provides housing for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals. Together with the House of Tulip Founder’s Circle, Mariah raised over $1 million to support the local trans community and helped to secure access to legal aid, healthcare, and employment. In 2020, she was named one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African-Americans, and one of The Gambit’s 40 Under 40.

If Moore is elected, she will be the first openly transgender person to win a seat on the New Orleans City Council, but that’s not the only message she hopes that her candidacy sends. Moore hopes she will inspire all young New Orleanians to stay in the city and to be active in ensuring that it continues to thrive.

“This wouldn’t only be a historical moment because of who I am and where I come from,” Moore said. “This would also send a message to the many young people who are growing up in a very polarizing world in this current moment, that anything is possible and they can accomplish anything, and that there aren’t limits to their success.”

If elected, don’t expect Moore to stay away from community events - including protests. Moore says that being a community leader is about staying visible and continuing to be active and stand up for what’s right, even once the election is over. She’s committed to staying true to who she is and the communities that she is a member of - but most of all, she is committed to the people of New Orleans.

“It’s our people, right? It’s about our future, it’s about our neighborhoods.”

Note: this story has been edited to clarify which district Mariah Moore is running for.