Imprisonment by the 1-inch by 2-inch Zoom rectangle describes Pierce Freelon’s term as a Durham City Council member. Appointed in summer of 2020, he served when the pandemic was at its worst.
“So much of campaigning, so much of developing a platform is about community engagement… It’s pulling up to somebody’s church or mosque or synagogue or shrine, their birthday party or fish fry,” says Freelon, 39. But in countless eight-hour Zoom days, he was forced to engage his community from within the four corners of his computer.
Now, after relinquishing his role in local politics in 2021, Freelon sits on the patio of Cloche Coffee. He was no longer eligible to continue serving on City Council after he, his wife Katye Proctor Freelon, and their two children found a home outside the city. Freelon says he is not opposed to reentering county or state politics in the…
