Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones will make public appearances in Birmingham and Troy this week, serving as grand marshal for Wenonah High School’s reunion parade before joining U.S. Representative Shomari Figures, D-Alabama, for a student-focused town hall.
Jones will serve as grand marshal for the Wenonah High School Grand Alumni Association’s Annual Reunion Alumni Parade at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, August 16, at Wenonah High School Stadium, 2800 Wilson Road SW in Birmingham.
The annual event honors the school’s longstanding tradition of education and community pride in Birmingham’s Wenonah neighborhood.
On Tuesday, Jones and Figures will appear together at Troy University for a town hall hosted by the Troy University College Democrats and Pike County Democrats. The event will begin at 5 p.m. in the Trojan Center Ballroom.
Organizers said Democrats, Republicans, independents and voters of every political affiliation are welcome to attend. Audience questions will not be prescreened, and Jones and Figures will respond directly without a script or restrictions on the topics raised.
The town hall coincides with students returning to Troy University for the fall semester. As Jones has traveled across the state, young Alabamians have raised concerns about housing and grocery costs, access to health care, the quality of education and the availability of good-paying jobs after graduation.
“A student graduating from Troy shouldn’t feel like they have to leave Alabama to find a good-paying job or build the life they want,” Jones said. “We need to build a state our young people are proud not just to come from, but to stay in, to come home to and to help lead into the future.”
Figures said addressing those concerns begins with hearing directly from the young people affected by them.
“Young people want to know that there is a future for them right here in Alabama, that they can graduate, find a good job, build a life and stay in the communities they call home,” Figures said. “That starts with listening to them and understanding the challenges they are actually facing.”
