By: Travis McGee
To be young gifted and black was a song recorded in 1969 by Nina Simone and later covered by legendary singers Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway. This song is more than a much-needed anthem, its reality that is often overlooked because we are considered to be too young, too gifted, and sometimes too black.
Fast forward 56 years later Durrell Douglas is the current remix and living proof of the anthem, “To Be Young Gifted and Black. He is a member of the under 40 Club that grew up in Southpark on Selinsky St in southeast Houston.
At the age of 18 he started working at Texas Dept of Corrections (TDC) in which he went from C.O. to sergeant to Lieutenant in his 5-year tenure in which the job opportunity itself became a learning experience that played a huge role in his future ventures. In 2014 this experience led him and a couple of friends to start Houston Justice Coalition that is presently known as “Houston justice”.
Here’s a timeline that most don’t see in a lifetime due to procrastination etc. In 2017 he started Project Orange which became the first jail based voting initiative. In 2018 he moved to Detroit, Michigan to start flipping Houses while still staying in Houston, Tx. In 2019 he started Texas ID Connect which help the formerly incarcerated with transitioning back into society with resources, housing, IDs etc. In 2020 moved to Detroit and also formed Douglas Family Companies LLC for all his future business ventures.
In 2022 he ran for state rep in Detroit in which he came in second place. In 2024 he started Outreach Collective as well as Douglas Motor Group that consist of a 7 car Turo fleet and counting. His latest venture is TED EX THIRD WARD in which is also a much-needed platform for voices overlooked.
Last but not least Durrell host very organized events to allow We the People to meet our Elected Employees as well as the Hopefuls. So, We the People can ask hard questions, make educated votes vs” Just Votes”, and hold them accountable all at the same time. Durrell K. Douglas is Young, Gifted, and Black.
If everybody does something, everything will get done….
