Vernetta Alston is an American Democratic politician and attorney. She served on the Durham City Council from 2017 to 2020, when she succeeded MaryAnn Black in the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

Early life and education

Alston was born in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

and grew up in Cary. She attended Immaculata Catholic School, a private school run by the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; Post-nominal letters, postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a Mendicant orders, mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis ...

in Durham. She graduated from Cardinal Gibbons High School, a private Catholic high school in

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

. She attended

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

for undergraduate school and received a J.D. degree from the

University of North Carolina School of Law The University of North Carolina School of Law (branded as Carolina Law) is the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and is the oldest law sch ...

Career

Alston is an attorney, and worked as a staff attorney with N.C. Prison Legal Services and with the North Carolina Center for Death Penalty Litigation for over five years. While working at the center, she served as co-counsel for Henry McCollum, who was exonerated after spending thirty years in prison due to a wrongful conviction. She was elected to the Durham City Council in 2017. While serving on the council, she supported a $95 million affordable housing bond. Alston, along with Mayor Protempore Jillian Johnson, was uninvited from speaking at Immaculata Catholic School in Durham on February 8, 2019, during their

Black History Month Black History Month is an annually observed commemorative month originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the Af ...

celebrations. Alston had originally been invited by the school's African-American Heritage Committee as part of the school's "Influential African American Women" theme for the celebrations. The invitation was rescinded after there were threats to protest the event due to Alston and Johnson being openly gay public officials. Fr. Christopher VanHaight, the pastor at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and Head of Immaculata Catholic School, said he made the decision to rescind the invitation after receiving messages from some school parents voicing concern about having a "pro-

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

" politician speak at the school, claiming that Alston speaking would "question the school's commitment to upholding Catholic moral teaching." He also stated that the school "needed a break from politicians." VanHaight's decision was supported by the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh The Diocese of Raleigh () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church that covers eastern North Carolina in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Roman Ca ...

. Alston responded in a statement, “Immaculata is a religious institution and I believe strongly in the freedom to believe and worship how one chooses, even if a belief conflicts with something fundamental to my own life. That said, adherence to that basic principle means that I can freely say that the Church, by depriving the students at Immaculata of the chance to honor Black history, and in doing so, condemning the lives and rights of the LGTBQ community, is sending a sad, regressive, and life-altering message to our children – that the voices and experiences of those within the Black community can be cancelled and that inclusion is not valued by some who are charged with shaping their character. I reject that message.” A group of parents from the school including Danielle Sutton, the school's chairwoman of the African-American Heritage Committee, criticized Immaculata's decision. VanHaight later issued an apology and re-invited Alston to speak at the school. Alston spoke at the school in March 2019, and received a standing ovation from the audience. After the death of

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

member MaryAnn Black in 2020, Durham Democratic Party officials recommended that Governor

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III ( ; born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 75th List of governors of North Carolina, governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), De ...

appoint Alston to the vacant seat in the

. Alston officially resigned from the Durham City Council in April 2020 and was sworn in to the North Carolina House of Representatives on April 14, 2020.

Personal life

Alston is married to Courtney Young. They have two children. They live in Hope Valley Country Club.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alston, Vernetta Living people 21st-century African-American lawyers 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly African-American city council members in North Carolina African-American LGBTQ people African-American state legislators in North Carolina American lesbian politicians Cardinal Gibbons High School (North Carolina) alumni Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Durham, North Carolina, city council members LGBTQ state legislators in North Carolina North Carolina lawyers North Carolina State University alumni People from Cary, North Carolina University of North Carolina School of Law alumni Women city councillors in North Carolina Women state legislators in North Carolina Year of birth missing (living people)