About
Understanding Irving D. Allen’s Campaign
Irving David Allen, a Greensboro resident and father of three daughters, is dedicated to raising his family and organizing for a better Greensboro. Raised in a family with a strong legacy of social justice and community service, Irving has followed in the footsteps of his uncle, David Richmond, one of the A&T Four, and his father, Rev. William Steve Allen Sr., the first Black Superior Court Justice elected post-Reconstruction.
Irving grew up in Greensboro, N.C. He graduated from the illustrious James Benson Dudley Senior High School He attended A&T State University and studied political science. A product of Guilford County Public Schools, Irving has served the community in various roles, including organizer, advocate, mentor, and trainer. Over a thirteen-year career, Irving has worked with numerous social justice organizations, such as The Beloved Community Center, Ignite NC, Color of Change, and Democracy NC. He has built coalitions within Greensboro, throughout North Carolina, and across the South. Notable initiatives he has organized include the Citizens Review Board for police accountability, the Teens Downtown youth program, and co-founding the Black Lives Matter Gate City chapter. Irving also helped launch The Books and Black Youth program to improve literacy rates among Black youth in Northeast Greensboro.
From 2013 – 2015, Irving was involved with The Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Youth and Student Coalition for Police Accountability (Y.S.C.P.A.). In 2016 Irving was co-featured in the PBS Documentary series The New Deciders. Later that year, he was selected by the Obama administration to attend the South By South Lawn Festival (SXSL) at the White House which highlighted Technology, Music, and innovation. In 2017, he ran as an At-Large candidate for Greensboro City Council, and in 2018, he helped establish the Greensboro Criminal Justice Advisory Commission. He has served as a Human Relations Commissioner for Greensboro, was appointed to the Youth Advisory Board, and organized and hosted the Southern Coalition for Social Justice’s (SCSJ) initial Guilford County Expungement Clinic. In 2018 he served as Duke University Neighborhood Seminary Guest Lecturer. In 2020 was actively organizing local protests following the Deaths of George Floyd and Marcus Deon Smith and was a panelist on the Police Reform Town Hall sponsored by TAB Arts Center NonProfit. He was also a guest speaker for the Young Americans for Biden Virtual Bus Tour. He organized the Mask On Community Campaign and Give-a-way which provided PPE protective equipment and materials to the community of North East Greensboro. In 2023 Irving organized with Dads Organizing For Public Education (D.O.P.E.).