Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Anderson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Angela. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I was trying to find my way as a young adult, I really didn’t know what type of work or career I wanted for myself. I would always hear people say this is my dream job or this is what I have always wanted to do. I thought to myself, how in the world do they know that. I did attend some college at FVSU, but I did not complete my degree. I ended up pregnant and had my first child in 1995. Well, all I knew was I needed to take care of both of us so I worked two jobs most of the time just so I could provide for my child.
As years went on, I ended up marrying and we had a baby two years later. But the question in my life was still there. What do I want to do with my life, with my career? My mom had called me one day and said her supervisor’s wife was looking for a crime victim advocate. I am like what. She said just go talk to the lady. It has benefits. Well grown or not, I still did what she told me to. I went and it was the best interview ever. We had an instant connection and I got the job right there on the spot. I had never done this type of work before, so I was so nervous. As each day came and went, I started to realize that I love this job. I liked being able to help people. I liked being able to speak on their behalf in court, helping them through the court process.
I have always loved being able to help people. No matter what it was it just made me feel great to know that I made that person’s day better. I was a crime victim advocate for 8 1/2 years. I left the crime victim advocate job to become the legal assistant in the Drug Unit at the Houston County District Attorney’s office. I loved my job there. I realized that I had become to love the Criminal Justice process. Although my unit took care of mostly drug cases, I would always try and help wherever I could because I wanted to learn all I could. My philosophy is if something needs to be done and you have time to take care of it then do it. I was always helping other attorneys if their assistants were out or if I was just the first person they came across. Well doing what I loved to do was about to pay off again and I had no idea. The Chief Assistant District Attorney in our office had just been appointed as the County’s newest Superior Court Judge. It was so exciting because she would become our first female Superior Court Judge.
One particular day, I am at my desk minding my own business and she calls my desk and asks me to come to her office to talk to her. I said sure I will be there in just a second. Well, I cannot figure out what I did. I could not determine if she had a happy voice or a mad voice. Her office was not that far from my office, but it seemed like it took me forever to get there. I get there and I sit down (feeling like I was called in the principal’s office) and she says, well you know I was appointed as the new Judge and I am going to need an assistant that I can trust and that will get the job done. Well, she asks me to be her assistant. I am screaming on the inside with joy and trying to keep a straight face. I play it cool and I am like oh wow, I feel honored. I am thinking to myself, is this where I say let me think it over or what. I said I am not missing this opportunity. I was like, yes, I will go. I have never been so excited in my life. I was about to become a Judicial Assistant for a Superior Court Judge.
We started in January of 2007 and it did not even dawn on me until February (Black History Month) that I had just made the history books. I was the first African American assistant not only for a Superior Court Judge but for any judge in Houston County. I thought wow, this is how I envisioned my life. The path was set the day I became a crime victim advocate and I continued to strive and learn. I have worked closely with the Clerk’s office for the past 13 1/2 years and I have seen the inaccuracies, the constant mistreatment of staff and people that come into the office. The current clerk has been there 42 years. About four years ago, I started throwing around the idea of running for that office. The current clerk had already decided she was retiring. I talked with a few people about how to run and if they thought it was something that could be done. I researched and moved on from it. The topic would always seem to resurface. One day, I was talking with some people and I was discussing the issues in the clerk’s office and someone said you ought to run for clerk. I thought to myself, God is that you? You know I cannot do that.
Each day I notice more and more going wrong in that office and I had pretty much made up in my mind that I was going to run and make the changes that office needs. I work in the same building as the current clerk so once I decided I was going to run and I had talked with my boss about my plans, I went downstairs to let her know I was going to run. She then tells me that she is running one more term. In my head I am saying oh goodness. She tells me not to run against her because it would stress her out and she wanted to run one more term so that she could pay off her car and go on one more big vacation. Well, she did not have the right response. There was nothing about serving the citizens. There was nothing about making some necessary changes or anything. I realized she had become too complacent and does not even realize that the office needs change. After that conversation I started inquiring about whether Houston County is really a strongly Republican county or if people actually vote for the best person for the job. I got different answers every time, so this was not something I wanted to hear. One day there was a lady who started coming to the courthouse because she had a case she filed on the civil side.
There was this particular day the lady came in and wanted to make some more copies of some documents. Well, I guess at that point, the clerk was apparently having a really bad day and I was told that she told the lady to take her paperwork and go back to Ethiopia. I thought to myself she said what!!! I am in total shock and my first thought was this has to stop. People cannot continue to be mistreated upon entering the clerk’s office. The lady filed a report and I did not find out until later that the lady actually recorded the conversation.
At that point, I was all in and there was no turning back. I linked up with a female, Fenika Miller, who met with me and we talked for over an hour. Fenika is the go-to woman all over Georgia when it comes to politics, especially women in politics. She is a strong, fierce, highly intelligent woman who can make you feel like you can take on the world. I have been so appreciative of her help through this entire process. Politics is a whole different ball game. I have my good days and my bad days, but I continue to work hard daily. The election is November 3rd and I will continue to strongly move forward. My support network is there. My parents have stuck by me the entire time. At first, they didn’t really think I was going to do it but when my mom started to see me work hard she said to me, Angela I am so proud of you and the work you are doing for the campaign. “If you don’t win but I already feel it in my heart that you are going to win, just know that I am so proud of you for going after your dream.” My dad, who does not talk much about anything, has been there for me and he talks to everyone about me running now. My brother Brian has been amazing. He is a man of many talents and has been such a huge asset to my campaign. He has a side photography business which is a big deal for me. He also has a t-shirt business that was a huge money saver because we make our own campaign shirts. He is good with graphics, making videos and etc. He has been by my side since day one. Whenever I ask for anything, he always says, just tell me what you need and let’s get it!! If only you could see how talented he is. He is the real MVP. My boyfriend of six years and my two daughters have also been by my side and have worked so hard passing out flyers, spreading the word and everything. My oldest daughter spends her off days, delivering signs and registering people to vote. The Presidential election is a huge deal but often times people tend to forget about our local elections and the impact they directly have on the communities we live in.
Has it been a smooth road?
This has not been a smooth road by any means. If you have not personally experienced running for office, it is almost hard to explain it. But trust me when you see these people running for office, not all of them are doing it for money. It is hard work. There are long days and nights. I have been mad, I have cried more times than I can remember, I have questioned my abilities and I have also learned a lot about people I thought I knew during this process. Do not even get me started on fundraising. Fundraising is the absolute worse part for me. Campaigns are very expensive and asking for contributions is a huge part of the fundraising process. There is never a day or a moment when you are not asking for money.
A campaign manager is also a necessary component for your campaign. I have been my own campaign manager because it also takes money so that you can hire one. So, it is even harder for me because I wear several hats during this campaign but in the end, it is all worth it. The stories you see of people bad-mouthing the opponent is also true. It is on the local level as well. This run for election has really taught me how to be stronger, it has and is still teaching me how to think before I react. Everything does not deserve a response but when you do need to respond, I have to learn to wait and think your thoughts through before you respond. There are some angry and mean people in this world when it comes to politics.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am running for Clerk of Houston County Superior Court. I am currently a Judicial Assistant for a Superior Court Judge. We handle civil, domestic and felony criminal cases. I schedule cases daily for the Judge. We hear divorce cases, child custody cases, adoptions, legitimation cases and criminal cases. We also handle the Pro Se cases. Pro Se means that the person represents themselves. I process court orders, bond orders. I review paperwork to make sure it is correct before I file it with the clerk’s office. I somehow one day became the technology person that fixes issues with the courtrooms. Not sure how that happened but I guess this goes under “other” on the job description, but I get it done because that is who I am. There is quite a bit that happens on the Judge’s side of things. It is the complete opposite from when I was an advocate and a legal assistant at the DA’s office.
In 2014 I also started my own drug and DNA testing company. I mostly provide testing for the courts and local attorneys, but I also do employment testing for some companies. How I came about starting this business is because a lady who was currently doing the testing for the courts was about to move out of state. At the time, I did not know she was moving. I had contacted her to see if she needed some part-time help. She said no but I am moving so what do you think about taking my place and starting your own business. I did not know what to say except ok I will try it. I am always up to learning something new. I get the beginning part of the process done and finally, I am up and running. I love what I do. I love the one on one I have with the people. I do not just do their test and then send them on their way. I want to know their story. I want to know what happened along the way. I talk to them about staying strong. A good portion of the time the test results will determine what, if any, kind of visitation with their kids they will receive from the courts. I have people I started testing back in 2014 that I still test.
Some have been success stories, and some have not been. I have one female who I have been testing and she had a minor setback. She scheduled a test and came to see me and said, let us get the fussing over with now because my test is going to be positive. She said I was not thinking, and I used poor judgment. I said oh my, I do not know what to say. I said I am angry that you had been doing so well and you messed that up but I am proud that you realize that you messed up and only did it that one time and pulled yourself back together. She said, wait, you are not about to fuss at me. I said, nope because you already know it was wrong and you have beat yourself up enough about this. I said, now if you come in here again telling me you messed, you are going to hear me fuss like I have never have before. Once again, this goes back to helping people. I love what I do, and I love being able to help make a difference in someone’s life. I had one client go to this other testing facility in Macon, GA, because they were cheaper. The client called me and said I apologize Ms. Angela and I said for what.
The client said I am apologizing because I went to another place that was cheaper, but I will not ever do that again. They were rude to me. They acted like they did not have a care in the world. I said well, that is ok, I totally understand. But in the future, if you need to work out your payment, just talk to me first and we will see what I can do. I do not make that much doing the testing after lab bills and supplies, but I continue to do it because I feel like I am continuing to make a difference. What sets me apart from other companies is that I focus on their story and what I can do to continue to encourage them on their journey of sobriety. Some of them leave mad and come back reporting to me how they had a great month. I have lots of clients who tell me they are going to make me proud and I love it. I have some who won’t say a word to me the entire time but I just continue to talk and I say I know you don’t want to talk and you’re mad with the court but I know you hear me so I will just continue talking. They usually end up laughing and talking before they leave. I love it!!!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Well, I am in Warner Robins and I love that it is a small town but not too small. It is growing more and more every day. There is not much that I do not like about it, but I like food and food likes me, so I think we need better restaurant choices. We do not have many to choose from. We have small food chains coming in monthly, but we need big restaurants. I also wish that there wasn’t so much racial tension. I think due to the presidential election it has come out more, but I still love my county and just continue to pray for change.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.angelaandersonforclerk.com
- Phone: 4785421379
- Email: angelaandersonforclerk@gmail.com
- Instagram: anderson4clerk
- Facebook: angelaandersonforclerk
- Twitter: anderson4clerk
Image Credit:
Photography courtesy of Phocusrite Photography – owner Brian King
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