As a child in the 2nd ward, local activist Darlene Cannon said she felt surrounded by a warm community. “When I was growing up with all of my neighbors, we were more of a true village,” Cannon said. “So everyone was always looking out for one another.” This year, the third-generation Evanston resident said she is pushing to bring dialogue and participation back to the forefront of the 2nd ward in her race against incumbent Ald. Peter Braithwaite (2nd) in the upcoming municipal election. Cannon is a member of the Democratic Party of Evanston, a founding member of grassroots coalition group Evanston United and the founder of Feeding the Village Evanston. If elected to the position, Cannon promises to advocate for racial justice, remedy housing inequity and increase dialogue with residents.