Alston works as an attorney, and worked with the North Carolina Center for Death Penalty Litigation for over five years. While working at the center, she served as co-counsel for Henry McCollum, who was exonerated after spending thirty years in prison after a wrongful conviction. In 2017 she was part of a defense team that won a life sentence, instead of the death penalty sentence, for Nathan Holden in Wake County. She was elected to the Durham City Council in 2017. Alston was uninvited from speaking at Immaculata Catholic School in Durham on February 8, 2019 during their Black History Month celebrations. Alston, along with Durham Mayor Pro Tempore Jillian Johnson, had originally been invited by the school's African-American Heritage Committee as part of the school's "Influential African American Women" theme for the celebrations. The invitation was rescinded after there were threats to protest the event due to Alston and Johnson being openly lesbianpublic officials. Fr. Christopher VanHaight, the pastor at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and Head of Immaculatta Catholic School, said he made the decision to rescind the invitations after receiving messages from some school parents voicing concern about having a "pro-gay marriage" politician speak at the school, claiming that Alston and Johnson speaking would "question the school's commitment to upholding Catholic moral teaching." He also stated that the school "needed a break from politicians." VanHaight's decision was supported by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh. Johnson responded stating that she believes "strongly in the freedom to believe and worship how one chooses" and understood the school's decision, while also stating that the church was "depriving the students.. a chance to honor Black history" and "condemning the lives and rights of the LGBT Community." A group of parents from the school including Danielle Sutton, the school's chairwoman of the African-American Heritage Committee, criticizes Immaculata's decision. VanHaight later issued an apology and re-invited Alston to speak at the school. Alston spoke at the school in March 2019, and received a standing ovation from the audience. After the death of North Carolina General Assembly member MaryAnn Black in 2020, Durham Democratic Party officials recommended that Governor Roy Cooper appoint Alston to the vacant seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Alston officially resigned from the Durham City Council in April 2020 and is set to join the General Assembly later in the month.
Personal life
She is married to her wife, Courtney, and has a daughter.
