by John Reid

Whether it’s in the classroom, the House of Representatives, or in his community, Terris Todd has always been one who takes the bold steps. After several years of teaching, community activism, and political service, he is preparing himself to enter another arena as Republican candidate for the U.S. House Virginia District 7 Congressional race. Todd spoke with the PW Perspective about what led him to Prince William County.

A native of Battle Creek, Michigan and a graduate of Western Michigan University, he was a teacher and administrator for 15 years in the public schools, but also worked with families and youth for 25 years. Also, he is an ordained minister, who along with his wife, ran a campus ministry called the Green Pasture. Todd talked about how after a successful stint in the Michigan House of Representatives as Director of District Relations, it was time to move to the nation’s capital.

“Ten years ago,” he said, “my bishop came to me and said ‘God was sending me to Washington DC.’ I was a former NAACP president of their local chapter and on the board of the Southwest Michigan Urban League. He served five consecutive terms elected in 2004 to the county board of commissioners. In 2024 he ran for the house of representatives.”

“I wasn’t involved in politics at all,” he continued, “but the sheriff at the time called and asked if I would run for his seat as he was moving away. I was serving on the fire department as a civil servant commissioner, so I met with my bishop and my wife and decided to do so.”

“He introduced me to some people, and keep in mind I had only two months to run. I outspent my opponent 3-to-1 and won with 75% of the vote.”

As time went on, his politics changed as, according to him, “I saw some changes in the local Democrat party which made me move away from what they were standing for and what my own personal convictions were.” I continued to serve until 2014.

Todd was the first Black man from his county to work at the state legislature. He became the Vice Chairperson just a few years later, and then was contacted in 2017 to serve on the Department of Education.

During that time, he got to work with the Heritage Foundation, and he recalls having mentorship from the late Bishop Dean Nelson, who recently made transition.

“He was a man of faith,” Todd said, “and he was a man of humility, a real family man. When I was appointed by the White House to come work this way, he embraced me and took me under his wing.”

“Dean Nelson was more than a friend, he was a gift,” he continued, “and a big part of why I’m running for Congress.”

In 2020, he worked as Director of Head Start when he got the call. “I didn’t apply, but I knew how I got the position,” he said. “It was all by faith.”

“I had a vision of speaking on the congressional floor, and getting sworn in with my family,” he said. “When my time was up with the [former President Donald] Trump administration, my bishop told me to stay in the area. A week later I received a call from Angela Sailor of the Heritage Foundation, who offered me a position where I worked until September of last year. My time there went very well, and I have a great relationship for them.”

So how did he come to Prince William County?

“Once my time at Heritage was done,” he said, “I prayed about whether to run in either Loudoun or Prince William County. I was given direction from a close friend of mine. I had attended several luncheons with people in the area, and we moved here.”

“There is no plan B for me, this is God’s plan, and it’s what I plan to stick with.”

He is a man of values and principles, chief among the is the purpose of representation for Black fathers. In his book “Just Being There,” he talked about the meaning of Black fathers being in their children’s lives. Raised by a single mother, the father of three daughters understands the role of affirmation, provision, and protection.

“Being in education, God gave me an eye and an ear to look out for my former students,” he said. “When I got exposed to the data, and the emotional side of things which are tied to the lack of a father figure, I asked myself how much better would they be if their fathers were involved? The greatest lie told one to another is they didn’t need each other. The family is truly the cornerstone of our society. Just being there means to be in their presence. Black men, in particular, don’t really know the power they have by just showing up and being visible in the moment.”

“The book is about my wife and I raising our daughters. We laid the foundation like a house built on faith, and everything is designed around it. As men, we assume our rightful role in society, especially one that is attempting to diminish our role daily.”

The work Todd has done to provide Black fathers a space for positive messages to be shared caught the attention of another advocate.

“Former NFL player Jack Brewer asked me at Capitol Hill to join his Fatherhood Advisory Initiative about what we can do to break the cycle that I lived, so other young men don’t have to.”

As he prepares for his congressional campaign in the Republican primary, Todd spoke about what can be done to help families stay together.

“We need to stop incentivizing being apart,” he said. “On a legislative level, state and local governments should not make it more beneficial to be apart than together. How about as a policy standpoint we can do more to help families be together? Separating them has made it more difficult not only for them, but for the child. At the end of the day, it is the man’s seed, and that’s the work we are doing through the Fatherhood Initiative.”

“When a father has been locked up, they make it harder for him to be in the child’s life after he’s been released. I’ve never met a man who has said ‘I want to be away from his kid.’ On an educational standpoint, why don’t we go back to teaching civics with a traditional curriculum? Why not talk about relational aspects and the benefits of being together, having loyalty with one another? Instead, they’ve indoctrinated kids and put curriculums and teaching practices that have nothing to do with the family. They’ve created a society that is anti-family.”

“We need to take a look at these policies which are destroying the family.”

Since he’s been in the area, he talked about what has he heard from constituents. “I host a listening tour, by going to different ministries within my congressional district,” he said. “They’re concerned about securing the border, and if the government is truly protecting them. It creates a strain on the local community. Some of the richest communities in the country are being brought to its knees because people are being dropped at their doorstep.”

“If you are going to be a sanctuary city, be one for the citizens who live there.”

Another issue he is looking into are taxes and inflation. “We are seeing high inflation and taxes, it’s taken a toll on the families,” he said. “You are hearing how unemployment numbers are low because of new jobs being created, but the data shows that it’s just the older jobs coming back. People are still working two or three jobs just to make ends meet.”

“It’s not that we don’t want to be compassionate to those seeking asylum,” he continued, “but it’s going to cost a huge strain on city budgets and our educational system. I’ve talked to business owners in the district, and the meals tax in PWC is going up from 6 to 10%. I talked to a pizza owner who said, “It sucks, and we need to vote out those who pushed for it.”

“When you raise the meals tax, you’re not hurting the big companies, you’re hurting the small business owners in the community, because they, and the customers, have to foot the bill.”

Another one of his goals is to have more Black male leadership within the area.

“I’ve taken the liberty to see who the board members are, and we need a representation of Black male leadership, so much for diversity, equity and inclusion. Where is it in Prince William County? “

“We need to be more present, and represent in the community. I’ve been called to run for a time such as this.”