McKenzie recalls moments from her childhood, seeking shelter by sleeping in the dollar vans of her father’s workplace. Her earliest memory was witnessing domestic violence. 

Born in Jamaica, Queens, McKenzie’s childhood was challenging, including being homeless and living on the streets of New York. Her early struggles shaped empathy for those without stable housing, a growing problem in Durham and one of McKenzie’s policies running for city council. 

Durham’s housing crisis and property value has been increasing as rent and property taxes continue to rise. Developers benefit from the price climb  but the cost is passed on to owners and tenants. McKenzie said she is committed to protecting residents of Durham and investing in neglected neighborhoods. 

“They’re pushing people out of Durham, and it’s going to look just like New York City — where if you live in New York City, it’s because you are wealthy and can afford it, or you’re stuck and can’t afford to move out,” McKenzie said. 

After 12 years of watching Durham grow and change, Samaria McKenzie’s love for the community spirit has been threatened by the city’s rapid development, prompting her to run for the Ward 1 City Council seat. 

“I think her standing with the people and not on the people is the best campaign position I’ve seen in the city ever,” Raheem Williams, a close friend of McKenzie, said. 

McKenzie is a marketing director and digital media expert. Her experience in financial management, data analytics, reporting, and strategic planning brings a strong background to Durham’s City Council. A graduate of UNC Greensboro with a degree in peace studies and conflict resolution, she aims to pair her academic background and work experience to manage the city’s finances. 

With the increasing price of homeownership and decreased affordability of housing, people renting houses long term have been dominating Durham, also known as forever renters. When asked about her solution to forever renters, she said that the development Durham is pursuing creates the environment of an endless cycle of work without the ability to retire.

McKenzie recognizes the difference between the needs of multimillion-dollar corporations and those of residential neighborhoods. She believes that the role of government is not to weigh the needs solely by financial gain and is concerned the needs of residential neighborhoods are often overshadowed by businesses. Her biggest motivation in running for city council is to reflect and protect the interests of the majority. 

“We are living in an abusive system where they’re telling us we’re lazy,” McKenzie said. “If we’re depressed, we’re radical. If we don’t think we should be paying for things that the earth gives us for free, that we’re ungrateful. If we don’t want multibillion-dollar developers eating up all the land, this is what I do. It’s what I do best. It’s what I’ve been doing my entire life.” 

McKenzie said she grew up with an abusive father, and she draws parallels between her upbringing and the development she sees across the country.

“Her courage and loyalty make her truly admirable, she stands up for what she believes in and isn’t afraid to fight for herself or others, always guided by strong values,” Karen McKenzie, her mother said. 

McKenzie said the country needs public servants, motivated by a desire to represent the community, not by personal gain. 

With her software building experience from her prior jobs, McKenzie has been actively building a performance tracker that allows the public to view the data report of money flow. She said she values transparency in working for the improvement of Durham. 

“You deserve better from the adults who came before you,” McKenzie said. “I deserve better from the adults who came before me, they deserve better and so on. So I’m putting my foot down now, because how long are we going to talk about making change?”