Introducing Momma Kai #WriteMyNameMommaKai

Welcome and welcome back. It's another amazing day in paradise. Thank you so much for being here.

Even though this blog is specifically for my mayoral campaign, I'm sticking with the greeting. Because it's STILL another amazing day in paradise no matter what role I play.

For those of you who don't know me, my government name is Kara Lynn Sanders. Even though that's my government name, I rarely use it. I have been called Kai (rhymes with hi, sky and bye) all my life. What's interesting is that it's been by different communities. My family called me Kai as a child but they all call me by my given name as an adult.

I started using Kai when I realized I could not get most people to pronounce my give name correctly. Can you figure out how it's pronounced? Let me tell you a story just in case you're a little unsure.

From what I've been told, my mom used to lose her car keys all the time. Now I have to admit I cannot say this was true before I was born but it sure did happen a lot when I was a child. That's why the story goes, I was named Kar-a (with a K not a C) and my sister is named Key-a.

Do you think you can correctly pronounce my name now? As I said, I don't know if that's true. We're almost 5 years apart so it's not like we are twins. But it's a great story to help people remember how to pronounce my name nevertheless.

Finally... about a year and a half ago I started calling myself by my super she-ro (s-hero) name (however that goes), Momma Kai. I say that because I found my superpowers being the mom and student of a dynamic, charming, Loving, brilliant and emancipated young Black male superhero. The name God gave him when I was pregnant is Wisdom and he is my heart beating outside of me. 

I have dedicated myself to being the best mom I could for him and the trainings I have been through truly allow me to be a super parent. Notice I didn't say perfect parent, just a super one. 

There's not much mom guilt here because I knew when I was pregnant that he was coming to change the world. He started with changing mine and now I'm working to change the world for him. That's my number 1 reason for becoming a write-in candidate for mayor. 

If I haven't completely bored you and you are still around, Congratulations and thank you. I'm sure you're wondering why in the world I have the audacity to submit my paperwork and announce that I'm running as a write-in candidate for mayor so close to the election.

All the endorsements have been made. Most of the events where candidates have been sharing their platforms are past and I'm coming on the scene as the ultimate underdog.

WELL... The main reason why is because my son and I are unhoused. We panhandle to make ends meet and I don't want anyone to mistake my panhandling as collecting donations for the campaign. So I wanted to wait until I had some stability before I submitted my paperwork.

That hasn't come in the way I had hoped and time was running out to launch my campaign. There are ALWAYS bills to be paid: gas is needed to fuel our vehicle, food is needed to fuel ourselves, laundry needs to be washed so we can keep being around people, etc., etc. etc. So I got the direction to jump and let God handle the rest.

I'm ready for this though. It's the moment I've been prepared for. I've been having visions of what the swearing in ceremony will be like since January of this year. It's going to be historic for the first Black female mayor of Raleigh to be elected and probably a first for an unhoused individual as well. It's going to be a HUGE upset too because the winner has already been assumed.

I like talking BIG TALK (even if this doesn't come true)! You gotta dream BIG to live BIG! And there is nothing bad about what I'm saying or working to accomplish.

Becoming mayor is what the last two years of my life have been all about. Honestly I didn't know it while it was happening. It's been looking back at where I've been, what I've done and who I know that solidifies that I'm prepared. 

I say two years because it was two ago, two weeks before the last election God said, "Raleigh doesn't need a new mayor, it needs a matriarch." Even though I balked at the idea, I called the Board of Elections to start the process. They told me I couldn't, not even as a write-in candidate.

Honestly I was grateful then and I'm even more grateful now. Looking back, that's what taught me I could be a write-in candidate this year. In fact, I called the Board of Elections on the last day to file, told them I wouldn't make it and asked what I needed to do to run as a write-in candidate. So now I am!

My platform has three themes:

1. "Write My Name" because that's what I need you to do so I can win. Kara, Momma Kai, Kai... any will do!

2. "Leading as a Mom, a Matriarch, and a Mayor with Compassion and Neuroscience" which will lead to

3. "Moving to Peace From War in 2024".

If those don't immediately excite you, I will go into more details in future posts about what each of those mean. AND... you'll also be able to find out more on YouTube where my full length video content is posted.

Please consider increasing the playback speed when you're watching the video content. Turning on the captions is helpful to me as well. Those will help you can get the best viewing experience when the content is long.

I hope what you read, hear and see will compel you to write my name as your preferred candidate for the next mayor of Raleigh. Thank you again and in advance. Enjoy the amazing day you’re creating. Peace…

#WriteMyName
#MommaKaiforMayor
#RaleighNeedsaMatriarch
#KaraLynnSanders
#MommaKai
#CompassionandNeuroscience
#ToPeaceFromWar