By Kyla Forde
Chokwe Pitchford was still a teenager when he was approached outside a movie theater and asked if he wanted to work for now-state Representative Joey Andrews’s campaign. He had never been into politics, and said, he took the job knocking on doors just for the pay.
Four years later, at 25, Pitchford is a county commissioner in Berrien County, Michigan, and the youngest member on the board.
Pitchford is a rising star in Berrien County politics. He was elected to be commissioner as a young Black man in a predominantly conservative area, where only 14 percent of the population is African American. He is one of just three Democrats; the board has nine Republicans.
“Whatever he wants to be, he can be; he’s brilliant,” said Andrews, who was the first to encourage Pitchford to run for state representative in 2021 – a race that he lost – and has remained his mentor and friend ever since.
As commissioner, Pitchford represents three townships: Hagar, Sodus and Benton Charter. County commissioners oversee the county’s budget and other issues, including housing, public safety and economic development. Pitchford’s priorities include building more affordable homes and supporting an initiative that would give community leaders and nonprofits resources to combat gun violence. “I believe the root of gun violence is poverty,” he said. “I don’t think a person that commits crime, that shoots someone, was inherently born bad.”
Pitchford is also the executive director of nonprofit organization Berrien Forward, which aims to help local candidates run for office and promotes voter knowledge on progressive issues. He said one of the reasons he decided to run was because he wanted to be a role model for young Black boys in the Benton Harbor community.
Several local voters approve of Pitchford’s performance, and are confident about his future prospects. “I can see him being the president one day,” said LaToya Turner, a program director at the Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor, who voted for Pitchford in 2022, when he was elected commissioner. Julie Earle, a specialist at Boys and Girls Club, described him as a “tremendous advocate for the community.”
But other local leaders believe he could be more responsive. Reverend Edward Pinkney, a minister and president of the grassroots Benton Harbor Community Water Council, said he didn’t vote for Pitchford and would not support him in the future. “He could do a whole lot better,” said Pinkney. “If you call Chokwe, he might not call you back.”
Some business leaders in the community don’t always agree with Pitchford’s priorities. For example, he advocated for revitalizing the nearby abandoned Orchards Mall by turning it into housing units, an idea that has faced some local opposition.
Tess Ulrey, a city commissioner of St. Joseph and a Berrien Forward board member, has worked with Pitchford in many capacities. She said that sometimes she has to advise him to be patient, particularly when he is passionate about an issue.
Depression and family troubles
Pitchford’s political journey is quite unconventional. His father was a drug dealer, and had frequent run-ins with the law, which took a major toll on Pitchford’s mental health at a young age. “I have depression and anxiety,” he said. “I was diagnosed when I was 13 after a suicide attempt.”
Neither of his parents was interested in politics.
Later, Pitchford said his decision to run for political office split his parents apart. He and his father share the same name, so his father thought it best to leave the area to lessen the chances that he would tarnish his son’s name by association.
“I haven’t heard from him in a very long time; I think it’s been almost four years now,” said Pitchford.
The young politician was not a model student either. He was diagnosed with ADHD and failed algebra twice. But it was his high school English teacher who introduced him to one of his favorite books, “1984.” The book taught him the importance of remaining well-informed, which he carries with him into the world of politics today.
“One of the things that I took away from that book and I took away from her is: Question everything, but do it in a way that’s grounded in fact,” he said.
After working for Andrews’s campaign knocking on doors in 2018, Pitchford joined the Organizing Corps, doing campaign work for the Democratic presidential primaries.
Andrews encouraged Pitchford to run for state representative in 2020. At the time, Pitchford was just 20 years old and still enrolled at Lake Michigan College, majoring in political science. He took Andrews up on his suggestion and launched his first campaign on campus.
His election journey for state representative was hard.
“What I didn’t realize going into that campaign was how dirty it was going to get. They attacked me vociferously,” Pitchford said.
Andrews believed Pitchford’s new ideas are bound to shake up long-standing power structures. “If he’s making long-time local leaders uncomfortable, he’s doing his job well,” said Andrews.
Pitchford said it is all part of the job. “Being a county commissioner is a master class in bipartisanship,” he said. He acknowledged he does not always get along with his colleagues on the board, but he knows he has to work with them to get any work done.
Getting into politics so young has meant other personal sacrifices as well. Pitchford has been engaged for a year and a half, but still hasn’t been able to schedule the wedding date.
“There’s always an election,” he said, laughing.