Derell Wilson was raised to know all politics are local.

Born in Norwich, Wilson, 30, has lived in the city's Greeneville neighborhood almost all his life. The City Council alderman and Democratic Town Committee chair is becoming what friends and mentors thought he would — a politician that leans on his education in community activism. In 2021, he was named one of the 100 most influential Black people in Connecticut. During an interview on Tuesday, Jan. 25, Wilson began by going into his past.

He said Greeneville is a tight-knit neighborhood that has changed since he was a child.

"I watched Greeneville evolve from a predominantly white neighborhood to a very diverse neighborhood as I grew up. That gave perspective as to what was happening in the City of Norwich," Wilson said. "That led me to being involved. In my middle school years, when we started having budget issues, I helped advocate for our community, or with the closing of schools and things of that sort. I've seen this neighborhood evolve, watched diverse cultures, religions and businesses come and go, but a close community still exists there."

At 10 years old, Wilson became the Norwich NAACP's youth council president, beginning his education in politics and activism in earnest. As Wilson puts it, he was learning "the art of advocacy."

"I played in the yard and sports and whatnot, I began seeing there was something bigger for me, to be an advocate for the community," Wilson said. "Jackie Owens and Shiela Hayes taught me a lot of the little nuances of government. That mixed with the support of my parents, the support of the community, is why I ran for office."

The late Jacqueline Owens was president of the Norwich NAACP branch. Hayes is the current president of the branch.

Wilson's education continued as he traveled to national conventions and other events. He became enamored with political possibility during a trip to Washington D.C. to march with NAACP members and others in support of reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act in 2006.

"Those are things that taught me about advocacy in government — meeting with Chris Dodd, meeting with Rob Simmons, meeting with Joe Lieberman, about the importance of the passage of that bill," Wilson said. "I got a chance to tour the White House, meet President Obama, which was for me a huge thing. For my generation, seeing an African American president and first family let individuals know that as a country we were ready for some of those things."

Hayes also said Obama had a profound effect on Wilson.

"He was definitely a role model for them at the time. We actually met President Obama when he was U.S. senator," Hayes said. "To see him at such a young age being elected to the U.S. senate was an influence. I know Derell then followed him through the course of his political career after that."

Wilson went to Greeneville Elementary, then Kelly Middle School, then Norwich Free Academy, before attending American International College. He is a twin and one of nine children; he also has triplet siblings. Before the NAACP, Wilson credits his parents and family life for where he is today.

"Over the years, watching my parents work day in and day out, take care of three special needs triplets — with all of us never really wanting for anything — their hard work and determination was something that I then was able to use in what I do now," Wilson said. "That was a huge piece of the puzzle, watching them work, and teaching us the values of hard work."

Wilson's mother Debra Wilson said she and her husband, Wilson's father Byron, preached caring about others to their children.

"We're from the South, and we always grew up worrying about your neighbors, your community, and if there's any way you can have a voice to change things for the better, I always tell them that you be that person," Debra said. "We got them involved really early with the NAACP and they went on a lot of trips all over the U.S. trying to get different bills passed, and people out to vote, and I always told them anything you can do to help, that's what you do. The world would be better if we looked out for one another instead of opposing."

Debra Wilson said Derell paid attention when money from the city didn't make it to the Greeneville section of town.

"Sometimes as you go, other parts of the town get money and certain parts get left behind," she said. "He saw the Greenville area was being left behind, and he wanted to see that change."

Debra and Byron being from Mississippi, and taking the kids there to visit, also informed Derell.

"His father picked cotton and peaches. Back when segregation happened he was one of those students who had to change over from an all Black school," Debra said of Byron. "If you bought a house in a certain neighborhood and you were of color, you'd see 'for sale' signs going up all over because Blacks and whites didn't mix. It's sad to see that it's 2022 and stuff like that still goes on, but Derell is fighting for change."

Wilson was close with his twin Terell Wilson, who was elected to Norwich's city council and served from 2013-15, before Derell was ready to run. Terell, then 24, died in 2016 due to severe health effects caused by a car crash.

Wilson beams when he speaks of his brother. He said the two supported each other, knew each other, and wanted to get into politics together. When Derell was youth council president, Terell was vice president. He said they had a plan to run for officer together someday.

"I definitely wish we had that opportunity. One of the reasons I stuck to the plan to run for office is that was one of the promises I made to him, to give back and serve our community," Wilson said. "I'm just proud that I was able to fulfill that promise to him, but it definitely would've been nice to have him sitting up on the dais with me. I will say the mayor, when I first got on, was gracious enough to allow me to sit in the same seat that my brother sat in. That was an honor for me to do that."

"People take loss in different ways, for me it's always been how can I continue some of the things he fought hard for and believed strongly in and integrate them and get them going in the community," Wilson added.

Hayes said the two were rather inseparable, and it's difficult for her to think of one without the other.

Wilson felt a call to return home after college. He remembered the emphasis of politicians at the time — including current state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, and current state Rep. Kevin Ryan, D-Montville — on going away but then coming back "and doing our part as the next generation to make our community last, and develop it for our generation and beyond."

At 25 years old, Wilson ran a strong campaign for mayor of Norwich, garnering 1,894 votes compared to current Norwich mayor Peter Nystrom's 2,499. The campaign made people pay attention to Wilson and grew his confidence that he belonged in this arena.

"For me I think it was a way to really gauge the direction of our community," Wilson said. "Were they ready for younger individuals to take leadership roles? Were they ready for individuals who may not have been as politically involved to take over? It was in my eyes a successful election. I learned a lot. It gave me the ambition that there were a large group of individuals who supported the vision I had."

Soon after, Wilson became DTC chair, then ran for city council successfully in 2019 and 2021. He acknowledged that it's rare for someone younger than 30 to be elected to two terms on city council. But Wilson has an education in and ability to communicate with all ages. He is a paraeducator at the Integrated Day Charter School in Norwich. And he's developed a reputation for being even-keeled after spending a lot of time in spaces with people who are older than him.

"Being in the NAACP at such a young age, I was working with older individuals and watching how they act, learning all those skills of public speaking, how to talk to individuals, how to respectfully disagree with individuals," Wilson said. "I tell people, screaming and yelling gets us nowhere."

Wilson deflected when asked about future political plans, saying only, "Down the road I may be interested in running for something bigger." The city councilman has gained confidence to speak up and raise concerns at council meetings since he was first elected in 2019, he said. He wanted to learn how city government worked first.

Wilson said the work he's most proud of since he's been on the council is Norwich's declaration of racism as a public health crisis. The resolution was proposed by Wilson and co-sponsored by the council's four Democrats, and calls for assessment of city hiring practices, access to health care, education, housing and city services.

"I took several months to write that resolution. It was an extensive and heavy resolution. It came with 11 or 13 areas of focus that I wanted the city to look at, like creating a health equity committee," Wilson said. "Having served in the NAACP, understanding where many minority groups have come from over the years, you come to realize that in many instances where discrimination has happened, it starts with race."

The resolution is not merely symbolic, Wilson said.

"In the background I've been working with the city manager and human services to figure out where we're going," he said.

Hayes reiterated a guiding principle of Wilson's: "Politics is always local. Change happens at the local level. Without the local movement, you don't get a statewide or national movement very often."

She highlighted Wilson's work on getting federal COVID-19 money to specific areas in Norwich.

"If people knew why he fought so hard for the American Rescue Plan money to be dedicated to neighborhoods ... I know from his experience being out of Norwich but then coming back and looking, he sees the same issues in Norwich as in big cities," Hayes said. "Blighted buildings. Underutilized businesses and houses. It's right here in Norwich, it's no different. The magnitude in a larger city is in your face, but he lives over in Greeneville, he has to see every day what the recession and now the coronavirus has done to neighborhoods."

In addition to his political positions, Wilson is lead paraeducator at IDCS. He has been a basketball and track and field coach. And he's chair of the safety and security committee at the school.

"I love being around kids," Wilson said. "Teaching them, giving back and helping others."

Every part of Wilson, his activism, his politics, his day job, his volunteer work, applied to his selection as one of the NAACP's most influential Black people in Connecticut.

"For me it was an amazing feeling. Having been on the selection committee before, and being one of the youngest on that group kind of sends chills to your body, as well as seeing the endless possibilities of where you could go," Wilson said. "For them to recognize me in that way was humbling. Seeing people involved from when I was a youth recognizing the work I'm doing and the direction I've taken is humbling."

s.spinella@theday.com