Gabriel (they/them) is a queer Latinx southerner born in Puerto Rico, raised in North Carolina, living in Alabama. Their passions are infrastructure development, data literacy in the Deep South, and community organizing and they are motivated by experimentation and power building. They serve as Executive Director at People’s Budget Birmingham, an effort aiming to make participatory budgeting a cornerstone of municipal governance. They also serve as Data Director at Alabama Forward helping construct the data and tech infrastructure for the progressive movement in Alabama.
Let’s dive into their story:
Tell us about the work you do and why it matters.
I’m the Executive Director at People’s Budget Birmingham, helping to raise awareness and build community advocacy around the Birmingham City budget: how it’s created, who the decision-makers are, and how to track the flow of allocated funds. The goal is to enact participatory budgeting, which returns decision-making power around budgets back into the hands of everyday working people. I am the Data Director at Alabama Forward, the state’s civic engagement table. Our primary objective is to help our member organizations work on and implement rigorous, impactful issue-based GOTV and related programs. My job on the data front supports our members in finding the best data, ensuring they have the capacity and infrastructure, and helping them implement tech tools to scale their work more effectively. And this work matters because most people often overlook the state of Alabama, but resilient organizing is happening all across the state, and I see it in my work day in and day out.
What’s a win that lives with you?
Two wins that come to mind are electoral: Doug Jones special election in Alabama, and Raphael Warnock’s runoff election in Georgia. For Doug Jones, his election was the first time in a quarter-century that a Democratic Senator from Alabama was elected to office. I witnessed a general buzz and infusion of hope around his campaign and what this win meant for Alabamians seeking real change. In 2021, the Warnock campaign pulled off a major defeat, sending the first Black man from the South to the Senate. Working closely with his campaign in Georgia, there was a rush of excitement and possibility around his victory, and a beautiful reminder of what can happen when ordinary people band together and believe a better future is possible. Both elections stirred in me a sense of hope, possibility, and momentum that was infectious and energizing.
How did your re:power training reshape your leadership?
I was part of the Data x Power fellowship, and it was a life-changing experience. Before the cohort, I questioned my technical skills, but the fellowship showed me the hardest part isn’t the learning, it’s the mindset. This experience boosted my confidence and my capacity by showing me I could learn new technology skills and apply them in my work, whether in software development or databases; it no longer felt impossible. Now, I build things for work and on the side. And I don’t care if there’s no solution on the market, I’ll just build it anyway. The other aspect I learned is that I don’t have to be perfect to grow; I just have to try. That lesson lives with me as I prepare for my grad school applications.
This line of work requires a lot of heart and hustle. How do you find joy and recharge?
I love reading a lot and spending time with my friends. I also love playing video games because they are a fun distraction, and there is nothing better than coming home after a stressful day at work to play my favorite video games. I’m a horror fan too; I love the gore and the thrill. Lately, what’s been bringing me joy has been cooking for my friends, my husband, and myself. Beyond nourishment, food can be a source of connection and community, and it’s how I care for myself and my people.
