Alisha Shelton

Tell us about you:

My name is Alisha Shelton. I am a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and Professional Counselor in the state of Nebraska. I moved to Omaha from Staten Island, NY at age 12. My experience with activism started as a youth. My earliest memory was speaking up to my first grade teacher demanding she tell my classmate that Black people can ice skate because Debbie Thomas does. From that moment I have always been a catalyst for love & equality. I spend my time reading the latest research as it pertains to issues I am passionate about. I volunteer my time with activities that focus on voter rights, mentoring, mental health and justice. For the past 12 years I've led letter writing parties and contacted my elected officials. I reached a point where I was tired of being ignored and decided to run for U.S. Senate in 2020.

How do you act (in big and small ways) to do your part to build the world you want to see?

I love! Love leads you to treat everyone like they are distant family members. You may not know them well, but you want them to be healthy. Every single day I speak up against any injustice, especially when it is not happening to me. For example, in 2019 at a restaurant in Omaha I witnessed a customer call a Black waiter a racial slur. I immediately walked to find a manager and voiced my concern. The manager said he would ask the server if he could just deal with it. I disagreed and explained in detail why the server should not be asked to "deal with it". The manager stated he would give the table to another server and check to ensure the server, who was called the racial slur, was alright. That server ended up coming to my table in tears and hugged me. He said he didn't know anyone noticed and was afraid if he said anything no one would believe him. He was a freshman in college.  I am a strong advocate for everyone.

What does it feel like to step into action? 

It feels amazing.  Any time I follow my heart and my passion, it fills my bucket. 

What advice do you have for folks who want to step into advocacy but aren't sure how?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. One of my favorites is "What don't I know that you think I should in this moment?"  Start with one area you are very passionate about then branch out from there.

Email: info@sheltonforsenate.com; LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alishashelton