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Josh Coleman (born June 7, 1989) is an American Politician, LGBTQ+ Activist, and Public Official. He is the Chair of Alabama's Democratic National Committee delegation. Coleman unsuccessfully ran for Chair of the Alabama Democratic Party in 2022, and he is the former President of the Alabama Young Democrats.[1]
Coleman serves as the President for Central Alabama Pride,[2] which hosts one of the largest Pride festivals in the American South. In June 2018, he was appointed by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin to serve as the cities first LGBTQ+ liaison.[3] In 2020, Coleman was appointed to be the Deputy Director within Mayor Woodfin's Office in the Division of Social Justice and Racial Equity.[4]
Political Career
editIn 2015, Coleman was hired by Randall Woodfin to be the volunteer coordinator for Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign in Alabama.[5] It was while working on this campaign that Woodfin, who was serving on the Birmingham City School Board, decided to run for Mayor of Birmingham in the 2017 Municipal Elections. Woodfin, upon Clinton's loss, hired Coleman to be the Volunteer Coordinator for his mayoral campaign.[6] Coleman also served as the Campaign Manager for Hunter Williams successful campaign for Birmingham City Council District 2. After Woodfin and Williams victories in 2017, Coleman would then take a job managing Neil Rafferty's 2018 campaign for Alabama State House District 54. The election of Rafferty was notable, as he was the first openly gay man to be elected in the state of Alabama. That same year, he would also serve as the Field Director for former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Sue Bell Cobb's unsuccessful campaign for Governor of Alabama.[7]
In 2020, Coleman successfully ran to serve as one of Alabama's three representatives on the Democratic National Committee, becoming the youngest person from the state to be elected to the role. He was also a campaign surrogate and delegate for Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary. Coleman would serve in an advisory role on Mayor Woodfin's re-election bid in 2021, and on Neil Rafferty's re-election campaign in 2022. In 2022 Coleman announced his candidacy for chair of the Alabama Democratic Party following Chris England's decision not to run for re-election. He lost[8] to Rev. Randy Kelley, who had the backing of longtime Alabama Democratic Conference Chair Joe L. Reed.[9] Coleman served as an advisor on Travis Hendrix's successful campaign to fill the Alabama State House District 55 left vacant by the resignation of Fred Plump, and on Ves Marable's campaign for Jefferson County Assistant Tax Collector.
Coleman has held many roles in the Democratic Party apparatus. He currently serves as Alabama's senior representative to the Democratic National Committee, as the Vice Chair of Finance for the Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee, and as the National Committee Representative for the Alabama Young Democrats. He previously served as the Chief of Staff for the Young Democrats of America and as the President of the Alabama Young Democrats.[10]
Personal Life
editColeman was born on June 7th, 1989, in Cullman, Alabama. Coleman attended West Point High School. In 2023, Coleman graduated from Miles College with a B.A. in political science. He currently attends the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he is working towards his Master of Public Administration.[11]
Coleman identifies as gay, and he currently serves as the President of Central Alabama Pride. As the LGBTQ+ Liaison for the City of Birmingham, he has fostered several initiatives to help better serve the LGBTQ+ community in Birmingham, such as working to help establish the Mayor's LGBTQ+ Advisory Board and the City's Human Rights Commission. On June 12th, Coleman will be officially releasing his first book, titled "Finding My Rainbow: A Journey of Courage, Acceptance, and Pride." The children's book is based on Coleman's own story of growing up as a gay youth in rural Alabama.[12]
Beginning in 2019, Coleman was tasked with operating the City of Birmingham's Academy of Civic Engagement, which aims to educate residents about government operations and to cultivate qualified appointees for public boards and authorities.[13] In 2023, he was part of the inaugural class of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative on civic engagement.
Coleman has been a close friend and assistant to former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman for several years.
References
edit- ^ mcason@al.com, Mike Cason | (2022-07-17). "Alabama Democratic Party: Coleman, Isner run for chair". al. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ mcason@al.com, Mike Cason | (2022-07-17). "Alabama Democratic Party: Coleman, Isner run for chair". al. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ mcason@al.com, Mike Cason | (2022-07-17). "Alabama Democratic Party: Coleman, Isner run for chair". al. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Coleman, Josh (2024-05-25). "Experience | Josh Coleman".
- ^ Patton, Elizabeth (2018-06-11). "Randall Woodfin names Josh Coleman as Birmingham's first LGBTQ liaison". Alabama Today. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Coleman, Josh (2024-05-25). "Experience | Josh Coleman".
- ^ Coleman, Josh (2024-05-25). "Experience | Josh Coleman".
- ^ Glenn, John H. (2022-08-15). "Randy Kelley elected chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party". Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Glenn, John H. (2022-08-15). "Randy Kelley elected chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party". Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ mcason@al.com, Mike Cason | (2022-07-17). "Alabama Democratic Party: Coleman, Isner run for chair". al. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Coleman, Josh (2024-05-25). "Experience | Josh Coleman".
- ^ "Finding My Rainbow Launches Just In Time For Pride Month". www.northamericatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Brooks, Gillian (2022-09-21). "Have your voice be heard during the Birmingham Academy of Civic Engagement". Retrieved 2024-05-26.