A Black Republican woman seeking a spot on the school board in Upper Darby — a solidly liberal town with an all-Democrat school board — has been targeted by vandals.
Alfeia “Alfe” Goodwin, a Republican who ran for Congress last year, has thrown her hat into the ring for the Upper Darby School Board this year.
Since then, her car was vandalized with graffiti on May 12. Then, on May 26, a trailer in Chester that she hopes to make into a house for a homeless veteran was also damaged and marked with similar graffiti.
But Goodwin, a former Philadelphia police officer who is serving in the U.S. Army Reserves, is tough. A special education teacher in the Chester-Upland School District, she’s not deterred from her mission to improve the education for Upper Darby students.
Delaware County Republican Committee Chairman Frank Agovino was disturbed to learn of the graffiti incidents.
“Sadly, it is possible that Alfe has been targeted for her political views,” said Agovino. “These attacks can come from anyone at any time, for any reason. Leadership in both parties must stand up with conviction to not only condemn such actions but work closely with legislators to develop more stringent penalties for crimes against elected officials, candidates, staff, and party leaders.”
Upper Darby is a solidly blue corner of Delaware County with a Democratic mayor, Ed Brown. Vice President Kamala Harris handily defeated Donald Trump in Upper Darby with 68 percent of the vote.
Goodwin said she woke at about 12:35 a.m. on May 12 because of the noise from police outside her house. A neighbor had seen the vandal and called police.
“We heard the noise outside and we saw the police cars, myself and my daughter,” she said. Her neighbor “saw an unidentified person with a hoodie pulled over their head fleeing from the scene, with what appeared to be a bat.”
The car had writing and gray paint poured over it, the sideview mirrors were broken, and a note with the name “Denise” written in red nail polish was stuck to the driver’s side door. A nearby Tesla that does not belong to Goodwin was also damaged.
“This was completely unexpected,” said Goodwin. “My BMW was parked right outside my house.”
The Upper Darby Police came back in the morning to dust for fingerprints, she said.
Then on Memorial Day, her contractor drove past the trailer she owns in Chester and saw it was vandalized with gray paint and the windows were damaged. A graffiti mark was painted on a tree. She noted there are about 50 homeless people in the Chester area, sleeping in the woods, and she’d like to help at least one of them move into a home, which is why she wants to fix up the trailer.
Why was she targeted? Is it a personal vendetta? Goodwin, who is single, said she hasn’t dated for several years. She’s been focused instead on running for office, or her recently completed program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania for a certificate in executive management.
“I’m a candidate,” said Goodwin. “I think in this case, it was more of my ideas.”
As for why she’s running for school board, Goodwin said she wants to improve education for children in the district.
“We are not preparing our children,” said Goodwin. They are not prepared to compete globally or even “able to compete nationally,” she said. “I want to have an impact on that. We are dumbing down education. Instead of raising the bar, we’re lowering the bar. And we shouldn’t. Children are capable. They are willing and ready to learn. But in an educational environment, they can only learn what is presented to them.”
For example, children are no longer taught how to tell time on an analogue clock. And they are not learning cursive writing or how to read cursive writing.
“That’s not OK,” she said. “You need to be able to sign your signature. How are we preparing them for life? We’ve dumbed down writing, reading, and mathematics.”