Photo by Adrienne J. Romero / SOC Images.
Walking along the winding road in Bayside Park, leading up to the stairs, Christina Freeman looked up to the sky and remembered her youth with her friends, “I remember we would come down here, sometimes at night, and we would just look up at the stars… It wasn’t much, but it was what we had.”
Now all grown up, Freeman told Slice of Culture that, if elected mayor, she aims to make sure every neighborhood’s needs are met, especially the Greenville area, where she grew up. The Jersey City native is one of the seven candidates running to fill in the Jersey City mayoral seat, succeeding current Mayor Steve Fulop, this coming Tuesday, Nov. 4.
“We shouldn’t [be divided] in the city… I’ve gotten to meet with several people from different communities and we all have the same problems,” Freeman said.
“These things can be fixed and you just have to pick the right person who wants to fix them, and that’s exactly what I want to do. I want to fix the issues that we’re having here within Jersey City and become one big community.”
Freeman joins the mayoral ballot pool of: former state Gov. Jim McGreevey, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea, current Council President Joyce Watterman, former Board of Education President Mussab Ali, current Ward E Councilman James Solomon and resident Kalki Jayne-Rose.
Early voting is going on right now in New Jersey until Sunday, Nov. 2. To plan out voting early, you can visit https://nj.gov/state/elections/vote-early-voting.shtml and navigate to “Hudson County” where it will list early voting locations.
The general election day falls on Nov. 4 where locals will be choosing for mayor, city council representatives, county sheriff, New Jersey state governor and more. For Hudson County election resources, information or to see who’s on your ballot, you can visit: https://vote.hcnj.us/.
Growing Up On Dwight Street
For Freeman, growing up in the “harder part of town” was “challenging.”
But, thanks to her parents who invested in her education, she was able to explore other parts of the city and see “a different part of life.”
Freeman attended St. Anthony’s High School, which was located at 175 8th Street, right by Newport Mall. While in high school, she also got her first two jobs—one of which was at Burger King, which used to be in Journal Square—to help lift some of her parents’ financial burdens.
“There [in high school] is where I kind of started to be molded into the person who I am today,” she said.
Freeman was also raised in the church, Universal Full Gospel on Martin Luther King Drive, where she participated in the youth choir.
“It was definitely intense, but you know what, it made me who I am today in terms of just being a servant and just having gratitude and just being empathetic to others,” she added.
Back at Bayside Park, Freeman continued talking about her youth, and how returning to the steps—just weeks away from the general election—marked a circular moment for her. She went up the stairs, as children ran down the steps, and made her way to Garfield Avenue, heading towards Dwight Street, the place of her childhood home. At the corner of Garfield and Dwight, signs hung outside of two residents’ homes; one of which supported “Christina Freeman For Jersey City Mayor.”
She walked through her routine as a kid: Cece, her best friend, lived right next door. Next to Mr. Parker, Miss Ashley, Miss Linda. Alice, Christine, Ebony, Miss Christine, Kendra and Aunt Cookie, who she thinks still lives there. She used to walk up and down the street, go to the corner store, come back to the house and sit on the porch for hours “like we had a beautiful view.”
Today, Freeman works as a Jersey City police officer where she’s served in just about all of the districts.
And in June, she declared her candidacy.
‘I See You, I Hear You, I Am You’
“I remember that very clearly and distinctly just because one day I woke up and I was just like, ‘You know what? A lot of the issues that were important to me and the rest of the people in the community was not being brought up by the other candidates.’ It was like they were out of touch and outta tune with what was really going on on the streets,” she said.
“And I was just like, nobody’s coming to fix this. Nobody’s coming to save us. And I’m a firm believer in if you see a problem, it’s your problem to solve. So that’s what inspired me to get up and really just go out there. It was a leap of faith.”
When asked about what makes her stand out compared to the other candidates, Freeman responded, “I’m from the people…Chances are something that you’ve experienced is something that I either have experienced or am currently experiencing.”
She emphasized that both growing up in Jersey City and now working as a police officer has shown her a lot of struggles firsthand including the fact that many people in the community have no resources.
“I want Jersey City to know that I am for the people. I am from the people. You have an opportunity to change the narrative here in Jersey City for the better. You have an opportunity to make history. I see you, I hear you. I am you,” she said.
Freeman spoke on a number of topics including gentrification and housing, supporting local businesses, the importance of green spaces and parks and maintaining a bond with the community.
“… Your vote matters. Nothing changes without you. Do you understand how unique and special you are? You guys are like geniuses at social media. Do you know how powerful that is? You know, you possess power, so understand that you also have power and you have the power to change things with your votes. So again, Nov. 4, please get out there and vote.”
To learn more about Freeman’s specific stances, you can visit her website at https://www.freeman2025.vote/.
