Porch’se “Queen” Miller is dedicated to the fight for the rights of the Black community.
During rolling out’s 2024 Vote For Me Project, many issues impacting the Black community came to the forefront. Miller stopped by to discuss where people should focus their attention.
What steps did you take to get in your current position?
It’s been over 20 years I’ve been doing advocacy work.
It all started in Dothan, Alabama, just being young with my family and passing out turkeys with the Rev. Al Sharpton, and also fighting community gun violence. That’s where it all started.
I’ve always been a leader in my own right.
I feel [it is] my duty and debt to society to give back to the streets…to show them that you can make it out. No matter what journey you decide to take in life, you can overcome, but you have to be willing to make changes in your life. I’m not the same person that somebody probably knew me as back in the ’90s or when I was in the military, or probably my 30s.
God has a way of using people who were once Saul and turned into Paul.
What are some key issues you’re looking at this election year?
The top key issues for Black people are always going to be police brutality, community violence, mental health, education, and prison reform. Those are Black issues…
Also, maternal mortality. Black women have a higher rate of being unalive, and the children being unalive during birth. That’s why it’s so important that we go back to our roots and using midwives and doulas to assist us in our birth in our birthing journey when we’re trying to have kids. I don’t personally have kids, but I am a victim of military sexual trauma, where I had a forced miscarriage. All of that is maternal mortality.
I want to give a shout out to my state representative that I work for. I’m the chief of community affairs for State Representative Park Cannon. She’s not only [the first state representative in the U.S. to openly identify as queer]; she’s also a doula and fights vigorously for reproductive justice.
It’s also important people continue to say, “stop Cop City”…
The Cop City protestors are currently advocating for the release of fellow protester “Jack” right now… You have good-abiding citizens who are practicing their First Amendment rights and are now facing RICO charges for being on the right side of justice.
