SBP elections: Sammie Espada builds on activism to promote inclusiveness

Sammie Espada, a self-described feminist and activist, was on the frontlines of politics at UNC long before she declared her candidacy.

From the Women’s March on Washington in January to the HB2 protest that shut down Franklin Street in 2016, Espada was there protesting.

Espada, a junior political science and women’s and gender studies major, said she is running for student body president to make UNC more inclusive and student government accessible to the average student.

“As a non-student government person, I know what it’s like to feel left out from student government — to feel like your voice isn’t being heard and to feel like you have no clue what’s going on in there,” she said. “I think student government needs to remember they are accountable to the student, and not to the administration.”

Espada’s platform has six categories, which include specific points like creating a task force for undocumented students and incorporating the history of women, African Americans and Native Americans on campus into new-student orientation.

Giulia Curcelli, Espada’s friend and a senior peace, war and defense and computer science major, said as a queer person, it is important for them that a student body president understand the importance of Pride Place, a residential learning program for LGBTQ students.

“She is so accepting and inclusive and always ready to listen, and I think that those qualities that I have experienced on a personal level would transfer very concretely to a position like student body president, where she wants to listen to what an average student thinks and needs,” Curcelli said.

Savannah Peters, a senior political science and sociology major and a friend of Espada’s, said she thinks Espada’s commitment to diversity and student government transparency distinguishes her from the other candidates.

“I think her actions speak even louder than the words on her platform,” Peters said.

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