Lumpkin Talks About the District 60 Race, Crime, Leadership

Alicia Escott Lumpkin is a political newcomer who is running for the Alabama House in District 60 against four-term incumbent Juandalynn Givan. ALPolitics.com spoke with Escott Lumpkin on Tuesday about the race, why she’s running, and some of the issues facing Birmingham and Alabama.

We began by asking Escott Lumpkin why she’s running for the Alabama House.

“I grew up in District 60. All of my life, I moved away for college, but then I came right back,’” Escott Lumpkin said. “And so, I've seen my home, my community, and a State where it was thriving, where people were connected, and people felt like they were being represented well. And right now, coming home, working in my community for a number of years, working in government for a number of years, I just think that there's a space that we can do better, and there are opportunities that we are not fully taken advantage of. And so instead of continuing to ask somebody to do the work for me, I decided to step out and to do it myself.

“I don't know if you know, but I grew up around this world. My aunt was heavily invested. She was in this seat and other seats in the State of Alabama, and so it's not foreign to me to be around this space, to understand what good, effective leadership looks like and what it can be. And so, my goal is to make my community proud, to make it better, and to be able to bring some changes to the folks that raised me and that have poured so much into me.”

We then asked Escott Lumpkin to give examples of opportunities that, as she mentioned, were not being taken advantage of.

Escott Lumpkin answered, saying, “I don't think that we work well together as local leaders. I think the only way that we're going to improve our communities is if we are all working on one accord. I got to be able to work with the Mayors in every municipality, County Commissioners, as well as folks in different townships, and I don't think that we've done that effectively over the last several years, to be able to bring the things that our community wants like they want revitalization. They want their communities taken care of. They want their children taken care of. 

“I think those opportunities lie in us working together to be able to help usher in a new era of economic opportunities — opportunities for our young people, bringing additional dollars to our communities where folks can see things. I think that's going to be in the power of us being able to sing from the same sheet of music.”

We next asked about crime, which has been a significant issue in Birmingham for several years, with the number of homicides peaking in 2024. We asked how Escott Lumpkin, as a Representative in the Legislature, would work to decrease the number of murders and crime overall in Jefferson County.

“I think that the great thing about it is, I think that we're on a trend where we're seeing crime being decreased in those spaces, and I think part of that is because a different approach was taken,” she said. “It's more focused on some preventative services, and how can we provide things for a community, for them to not to be able to get in a space where we're having to deal with crime.

“We're creating networks, we're creating units, we're creating partnerships and programming for communities to be able to feel safe, to be involved in — I think that's going to be key. And I think we got to begin redirecting how we spend our funding, instead of trying to correct on the back end, to pour money in on the front end to be able to help those things. I do know that we're doing a beautiful job thus far, and I think we need to continue the trend, but it's going to be us having to redirect our funding and redirect our thoughts. 

“Everybody wants to put money into prisons. Everybody wants to put money into making sure that we have a space for people. But, it's more about, how do we help them once they get out, so they don't return, and then how do we prevent them from going down this path? And that investment looks a lot different in different ways. It could be investing in our education a little bit more, making sure that they have their needs and that they are able to meet the moment at school. So I think it can be a very comprehensive approach. I do believe we're going to have to think more outside of the box than what we've done in the past, and reinvest in some of the front end pieces, instead of pouring money into the back end.”

Since Escott Lumpkin mentioned prisons, we asked her about The Alabama Solution — if she had seen the movie, and what was her impression of it.

“I saw the movie,” she said. “And of course, like everybody else, I was absolutely moved by it. To know that folks are in those spaces and they're having those experiences definitely makes you angry. It makes you sad, it makes you feel all the range of emotions. And so again, I believe that it's important that we kind of stop the pipeline, by investing more on preventing folks from getting to these spaces. A lot of that has to do with healthcare, has to do with economics, it has to do with the quality of life that people are living. A lot of times those decisions are made to improve their quality of life, and so we can be on the front end and help people to achieve the things that they want to achieve. We can begin to reduce that pipeline that we see in prisons.

“It was moving. It made you angry, it made you sad, all the things that come along with it. But I think there's a path forward, and we just have to be intentional about how we move forward.”

We then asked Escott Lumpkin about HB475 in the last session, the bill that as passed expanded the Public Service Commission from three to seven members and created the position of Secretary of Energy. Specifically, we asked what her approach to the final form of the bill would have been. Would she have voted for it, yes or no, and why? 

Escott Limpkin began by saying “Yes, that whole exchange, quite like a lot of exchanges that we had over these last few months and sessions have been, especially for this particular year, have been…it's been quite creative. We've had a lot of unexpected battles in this space. And so at the end of the day, my goal would be just to make sure that the voices of the constituents are heard, the folks that I represent are heard.  My goal would be to make sure to advocate for their desires.

“The bill itself? It went through so many different changes that it was confusing at some points, to say the least. But I think what happened was they were trying to find a middle ground, which we I don't think that we were able to do the best job that we could do, in having that pass the way that it did.

“But, it's always to go back to what my constituents want, and basically to hear their voices, and then to be able to make a decision on what they want it to be passed in the House.”

Escott Lumpkin has a very impressive list of endorsements, especially for a first time political candidate, and some of those endorsements include people who are not typically known for endorsing Democrats. ALPolitics.com asked to what she attributed her success in acquiring all these big name, high power endorsements?

“I've gotten this question quite a few times,” she said. “You know, I'm really grateful for all the endorsements that I've gotten, for the people who decided to support me, but what I think it really shows is that people want a change. I think we're at a crossroads, and change doen’t always mean something bad. It just means that we're moving in a new direction.

“What I'm hearing from the folks in my community is that they want leadership that's willing to work with them and fight for them, and not fight with them. That's what I'm trying to do for the folks in District 60. And, just because I have a lot of endorsements, a lot of my support comes from the ground. Most of it comes from the ground. It’s me talking to people, it’s me being able to understand what their concerns are, what their desires are, and then having the voice of the people, I think, that helps me to be able to move the needle forward with getting those endorsements. So, I think now, it starts at a groundswell, with me talking to residents, and then people understanding the impact that's being had there, and then the endorsements come.

“I know that there are some spaces that are saying, you know, because I've gotten support, that means I'm going to be bought, I'm going to be all these other things, but I'm not bought nor controlled by anyone. My responsibility is clear, and that's the people of District 60 in the State of Alabama. I believe partnerships are good, and so I'm welcome to partnerships, and I stand firmly on making sure that I advocate for the folks that I live with and that I represent.”

We then asked about the elephant in the room, the issue that everybody's talking about — last week's special session, and Monday’s SCOTUS decision that is making the entire State lose its alleged mind. ALPolitics.com asked Escott Lumpkin to comment on HB1, SB1 and the redistricting question. (Editor’s note: this interview took place early Tuesday morning, before Governor Ivey announced the Special Primaries.)

“It’s unfortunate that we're at a space where I have to comment on this, you know,” she began. “I think right now, what's happening in Alabama, we're sending the wrong message. Instead of us, focusing on the issues where people are concerned about — health care, rising gas costs, all of the things that are impacting our everyday lives — we are over here creating legislation that basically helps to divide our country. Even more, it’s divisive.

“What I think, is the government and we are here to protect folks in our community, and expand opportunities. And right now we're doing the opposite. You know, there's one point where people say, ‘Oh, it's legal, it's legal, it's legal,’ but at the same time, at one point, slavery was legal. That doesn't make it right. You know what I mean? And so, I think we're in the space as a country, as a State, where we have to really, really look at our morals, and we have to ask ourselves the hard question: is this morally right? Are we doing the best thing to be able to help our country move forward?

“One of our greatest strengths as a country was that we've always had a balance of power, and I think that balance keeps us being one of the greatest countries in the world. When we sway to either side, I think that's where we begin to go down a downward slope. And so now we're here, and we have to fight every day to make sure that folks' voices are represented, to make sure that our Black communities are represented, and that their voices are heard. And so that's where I stand on it.

“I think it was so disappointing, and I think we still have a space that we just got to stand up and fight. And I'm ready to do that.”

To wrap up, we asked Escott Lumpkin if she had any final words for the voters of District 60.

She began by saying, “on May 19, I think we are at a crossroad with who we are as a District and as a community, and we have a decision to make. We have to decide if we want to continue down the same path that we've been going on, or if we want to have leadership that this season calls for. I absolutely believe that this season calls for a different type of leadership — one that is strategic, that is grounded, and one is accessible to the people that it serves. I think what happened in Montgomery is a wake up call, not only to District 60, but to the State of Alabama, especially those folks who believe in protecting equality.

“We can't afford in this season to have leadership that is disconnected and can't work with folks. Everything that we do has to be intentional. It has to be strategic, and we have to be able to work together. I believe that in this season, District 60 has the opportunity to choose leadership that knows how to fight for a community and also to build partnerships.

“One of the things we have to make sure that we focus on is, we need somebody in office that not only knows how to fight, but knows how to unify a community. Because there are too many times that we're fighting each other and not fighting the forces that need to be fought, or fighting the battles that need to be fought. And so, I'm that leader in this season. I know that I can make sure that we are being intentional about where we land the fights that we have, and using wisdom to be able to determine which fights we need to put our loud speaker on, or which vote, which fights need to be more strategic.

“And so, I ask people on May the 19th, that they vote for me, Alicia Escott Lumpkin, because we can't afford, or we don't have the leisure, to sit back and continue doing things the way that we have in the past. We are here. This is the moment. Now. we need leadership to help meet the moment.”

The Democratic primary election for House District 60 is scheduled for May 19.

For more information, visit https://www.aliciaescottlumpkin.com.