Jemille Duncan: Young Political and Writing Prodigy

When thinking about this series I thought of people who had worked in political journalism or government relations and I quickly recalled Jemille Duncan, a man with years of experience well beyond someone his age.

The Swarthmore College sophomore is the legislative director for Councilmember Anthony Phillips and has his column with The Philadelphia Citizen. He was drawn to the political world at the age of 14 when he interned with State Senator Sharif Street. Jemille’s primary passion is studying law and the constitution but he has been able to smoothly implement this into his policy crafting role.

Many young professionals in the Philadelphia area who are starting to carve their paths in political communication admire his journey in this field and despite working with revered politicians and respected publications, he is known for his own brand.

I first heard about Jemille when I saw the Philadelphia Democratic mayoral primary forum hosted by the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists (PABJ) in April of this year.

Oscar Lopez and Jemille Duncan together at a PABJ event.

He was one of the moderators for this event and questioned these powerful figures in local politics on how they would address issues in the city concerning the city’s youth.

In this interview I wanted to delve into his drive to balance multiple careers at once and how he built the reputation he carries now.

Through wowing an audience when giving a speech in middle school, Jemille met Senator Street, who happened to be in attendance. The son of former mayor John Street soon offered him an internship in his office.

He took this opportunity and soon transitioned to City Hall where he worked with councilmembers Bobby Henon and Cindy Bass to author over 60 pieces of legislation by the time he was 18. He learned the ropes of the local bureaucracy in no time and shared how he uses his communication and analytical skills to bypass misinterpretation in the policy-crafting process.

“When trying to initiate negotiations with offices that might be opposed to what your bill is trying to achieve, you need to bargain and ask what they need to make the idea digestible for them. Depending on what you are trying to push, you may need to talk with the municipal department to see how feasible it is for them to execute your policy. Once you have taken these preventative measures, your bill should advance out of committee more smoothly. When reporters ask you about a particular piece of legislation, be sure to know what you can disclose in order to not anger other parties involved in the process.”

Former council member Helen Gym’s bill to ban the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray during peaceful protest or other First Amendment-protected actions. This bill was well-intentioned, resulting from confrontations demonstrators in Philadelphia had with police when protesting for criminal justice after the death of George Floyd in 2020.

Although the bill passed city council with the support of 14 of the 17 members, Jemille viewed this as a separation of powers issue. Mayor Jim Kenney is responsible for the conduct of his administration, which includes the police department, and the internal practices they choose to implement. After deploying these non-lethal tactics during the height of protests, police commissioner Danielle Outlaw placed a moratorium on the use of tear gas to disperse and the mayor simply viewed Gym’s bill as a way to codify existing policy.

Someone experiencing a meteoric rise like that of Jemille would surely consider running for public office themselves but the policy expert does not have this planned for his future. He plans to go to law school after college and become a law professor later in life. He enjoys the government side of his job but is not enamored with the political drama that can come with it.

“My appreciation for politics comes from an appreciation for law, the Constitution, structure, and regulations. It's never really been an obsession with the politicians, the bickering, or the debates. Those are undesirable parts of being in politics. When people ask me what I do for work, I say that I work in politics. But I don't do politics, I do policy.”

Aside from policy making, Jemille is very proud of his column in The Philadelphia Citizen which he has had for over a year. He comments on regional socio-political stories that are outside of Councilmember Phillips’ purview. Something he stresses is to not write on every issue or pump out an article because he has not had something published in a while. Jemille believes he should only write when he has something significant to say or a nuanced point to make because this is how he holds gravitas in the communication sphere.

Jemille never foresees himself letting go of his column, unless he became a judge and could not legally write about certain topics anymore. His articles do all from fully explaining what voting for ballot initiative could mean for their community to challenging the equating of politicians to celebrities. I asked him if the thought of him being a young Black male in the field of political journalism, a field where there are not many who look like him, ever weighed on him when considering who reads his work.

“The awards and recognition I have received do not change how I feel about the profession or myself as a young black man. I’ve heard stories of Black mothers making their children read my articles and telling them ‘This is what you can do too’ This means that I always have to recognize who might be reading my work and who is potentially looking up to me. I do not let that get to me and I know that at the end of the day, I am just Jemille Duncan. This humility allows me to keep doing what I do.”

He gives his all to his legislative and journalism jobs but he is still a student at the end of the day. The college sophomore explains how he balances the three and sets priorities.

“Under the last-minute procrastinator approach, I wouldn't be able to do everything I'm doing at the same time. I plan ahead, I schedule very meticulously and try to set things out a month in advance,” he said.

“My roommate last year went to a gun range downtown and invited me, but I couldn't go because I was preparing to moderate one of the mayoral forums. That was a short-term sacrifice for a long-term benefit. Of course, I do take time to do some things for me, and enjoy life because that is so important.”