How can you define yourself beyond the confines of how others define you? Growing up Black and disabled in Hartford, Connecticut, Kayla Kelly (they/them) often faced pushback from peers and educators positing that they couldn’t be a leader or scholar. Tune in today to learn how Kayla reclaimed the power of their story and used it to serve their community through their grassroots organization, Heal Da Homies. ABOUT KAYLA: Kayla Kelly (they/them) is a Washington, D.C.-based grassroots organizer originally from Hartford, Connecticut. In the fall semester of their freshman year of college, Kayla had founded Heal Da Homies, a multi-racial, mutual aid organization based in Washington, D.C. The organization was created to meet the needs of marginalized communities that are victims of systemic racism and inter-generational oppression due to food insecurity, housing, and gentrification. Heal Da Homies, in its two years of operation, has performed direct action to benefit D.C. residents, which included the following: organizing low-cost flea markets to clothe low-income residents, routinely distributing meals and groceries to encampments and residents, registering residents to acquire governmental benefits, and providing accessible political education to the public. Some highlights of this work involve facilitating workshops at universities such as Georgetown University and American University and a local youth community center about formulating alternative methods to policing and the gentrification of the city. Taking on a holistic approach in acquiring racial and class liberation, the organization has been involved in providing clinical care, hosting drug overdose trainings, self-defense classes, drafting policy proposals based on the needs of the community, and being part of a community emergency response network. Kayla’s bigger projects have been based in fundraising over $25,000 for re-housing unhoused D.C. residents, meeting the needs of incarcerated community members in the DMV area, and feeding families during the holidays. Kayla has extended their activism within their college environment as well. As a Legal Studies major within the Politics, Policy, & Law Scholars three-year B.A. program at American University, they have been awarded as an Annette Langdon Scholar-Activist, granted the 2021 Black Alumni Alliance Book Award, accepted into the Harvard Public Policy Leadership Conference, and received a university nomination for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. They’ve organized numerous on-campus protests, formulated a partnership with the American University Antiracist Research & Policy, and recently presented their work in empowering Black D.C. residents to members of the United Nations at the UN Permanent Forum of People of African Descent roundtable. CONNECT WITH KAYLA: Instagram: @kayismagical Twitter: @kayismagicall LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayla-kelly-617b5b164/ ABOUT SHE SHALL SPEAK: She Shall Speak is an organization dedicated to amplifying the intersectional narratives of Gen-Z Black girls and empowering them to pursue civic service, entrepreneurship, and social justice. We envision a world wherein those who are disproportionately impacted by social inequities are empowered with the resources and networks necessary to spearhead positive social change in their communities. Since our founding in February 2022, we have reached 400 girls across 25 US states and 20 countries. 🌎 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheshallspeak/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/sheshallspeak_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-she-shall-speak-series/ Anchor: https://anchor.fm/sheshallspeak
