Rain Pryor, the daughter of the iconic Richard Pryor, has officially thrown her hat in the ring to to run for Baltimore City Council in 2020.
According to The Baltimore Sun, on Tuesday the actress and comedian celebrated her 50th birthday by formally filing paperwork to run as a Democrat, and hopes to oust first-term Councilman Ryan Dorsey from his district in the northeast part of the city.
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“It’s kind of ‘my way or the highway,’ ” Pryor said of the incumbent’s approach to leadership.
She also goes on to explain that her desire to seek public office was sparked in late 2017, after she witnessed her daughter being tormented and harassed at her elementary school. She said the conflict that took place between her and school administrators unexpectedly woke up something in her, and it ultimately served as a catalyst for her to run for City Council.
“I’m listening to the people who have lived here for generation after generation,” Pryor said. “We need to keep them here and invite new people to come and stay in our community.”
https://twitter.com/RainPryor/status/1151238977552130048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1151238977552130048&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblavity.com%2Factress-rain-pryor-vane-daughter-of-richard-pryor-files-paperwork-to-run-for-baltimore-city-council
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Dorsey, a fellow Democrat who was elected in 2016, responded to the news by stating, “I welcome Ms. Pryor, [candidate] Nichelle Henson, and anybody else who may join the field, and look forward to campaigning on my record of legislative accomplishments and service to the constituents and communities I represent.”
Pryor is no stranger to the pressure of being in the spotlight. But says after reading a story by the late science fiction author Octavia Butler which took place in Maryland, she was inspired to moved to Baltimore.
“It was difficult,” she admits about her relocation. But she eventually made a home for herself in the city’s theater scene, got married and started building a family of her own away from “all the Hollywood craziness.”
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https://twitter.com/RainPryor/status/1151478698232729600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1151478698232729600&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblavity.com%2Factress-rain-pryor-vane-daughter-of-richard-pryor-files-paperwork-to-run-for-baltimore-city-council