“Without Community, there is no Liberation”-Audre Lorde
Community Initiatives
I’m a strong believer in grassroots community mobilization and organization as a medium for political and social change. Engaging the community and fostering the enhancement and spread of each other’s light is what keeps me going. Here are some of the initiatives near and dear to my heart.
Darkness Rising Project Queens 2022 Featured Speaker
Serving as the featured speaker for the Darkness Rising Project in Queens, New York City, was absolutely amazing! Darkeness Rising is a non-profit organization dedicated to making Black Mental Health resources and information accessible for everyone. Here I talked about Vicarious Trauma, Police Brutality, and the importance of a Mental Health Revolution.
Black in Mental Health Story Collider Performance
Storytelling and sharing narratives are what I’m all about! The art of storytelling as a mental health practice has its roots in the indigenous Americas, Africa, and Asia. For this collaboration, I shared my journey of racial identity development, racism, and racial trauma as a young Black girl in a predominately White town.
G. R. O. W.
Girls Reaching Optimal Wellness
Growing up in the rural South, I know firsthand the challenges that come with being a female-identifying student of color. G.R.O.W was created to promote transformational healing and positive development among BIPOC young womxn in Alamance, County North Carolina.
National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) Identity and Cultural Dimensions Initiative
As the community education coordinator for NAMI- Wake County, I plan, develop, and implement interactive presentations concerning mental health and the African-American community. At these events, we are able to discuss the history of mental health in our community, ways to promote positive mental health, and the importance of addressing this topic.
McDougald Terrace Supply Drive
The residents of McDougald Terrace, a DHA apartment complex have been subjected to inhumane living conditions including elevated levels of Carbon Monoxide. There have been three infant deaths suspected to have been related to the living conditions in the complex. Families are now being evacuated to nearby hotels but are experiencing high levels of stress due to food, housing, and transportation insecurity due to displacement. It is unclear when these families will be able to return to their homes.
When I shared the heartbreaking story of McDougald Terrace with my colleagues, I never expected this outpour of support. Today, RTI International employees filled an entire U-Haul van with donations for the residents of McDougald Terrace. What started off as a simple request for donations for the affected residents became an entire company wide effort to aid our community. Could not be prouder to work for an organization that comes together for the good of others. "Improving the Human Condition" is not only an RTI company mission, but the personal initiative of many of its employees. Keep pushing, McDougald. We see you, we hear you, and we are here for you.
Movement for Black Lives 2020 Freedom Summer Fellowship
The summer of 2020 is being spent training as a grassroots community organizer in a tri-effort amongst BYP 100, The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), and the North Carolina Black Leadership and Organizing Collective (NC BLOC). As a selected fellow, I am leading initiatives across Alamance county to increase political education, foster voter-efficacy, and challenge voter suppression.