Unity is Community.

I am Vivian Joiner, and I’m running for Winston-Salem City Council Member Southward to be a community voice that’s willing to do the heavy lifting.

I’m running because Winston-Salem is a great City. It’s the place I chose to call home almost 25 years ago.

More than twenty years ago, my partner Stephanie and I opened Sweet Potatoes – a restaurant in downtown Winston-Salem. The odds were against us but Winston-Salem encouraged us. Each day brings new challenges as well as opportunities to share in community.

Our small business would not have been possible without the outpouring of encouragement and community support my partner and I received. At Sweet Potatoes for years until COVID, we had a large table we called the “Community Table” where folks would sit with others they may not know but would leave learning that often times our differences bring us together. When the recession hit in 2008-2009, it was the local community that supported local businesses like ours to survive the down-turn in the economy.

In March 2020 our city took extraordinary steps to ensure we, as a community would overcome the challenges of the pandemic. Once again neighbors, friends; community did whatever we could to ensure we would get through an unprecedented time.

We must show up for each other. I have not only my voice but my hands ready for service to show up for you.