We are living through the biggest civil rights movement in history. In the wake of sustained police brutality in the United States of America, the world has been forced to pay attention to racial injustice.
One Young World Ambassadors have a long history of working to build a more just and fair world. This article serves to champion the voices of black activists and changemakers in the One Young World community working towards building a fairer world. Here are just a few:
LaTrenda Leonard Sherrill
LaTrenda is a community innovator and consultant at the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and former Deputy Chief of Education for the City of Pittsburgh. Through her work LaTrenda engages with historical oppression, power and privilege in the educational system. She has helped to transform summer youth employment in the Pennsylvania region, growing it from a 1 million dollar program to a 5 million dollar regional investment and led the City of Pittsburgh’s involvement in two initiatives of the Obama administration, My Brother’s Keeper and TechHire.
Follow LaTrenda on Twitter here.
Kevin Carter
Kevin founded the Adonai Center to support marginalised young men in achieving a better education and a better future for themselves. Each man receives up to 250 hours in different programmes a year from the Adonai Centre. 100% of these young men have graduated from high school and most have gone on to some form of secondary education.
Kevin has also served the Pittsburgh Public School Board since 2015 providing additional oversight on the $625 million annual budget.
Follow Kevin on Twitter here.
Jamira Burley
Jamira is a passionate advocate for education as a deterrent to violence. At 16, Jamira was the youngest appointee to the Pennsylvania Commission on Youth and granted $50,000 to implement anti-violence programs throughout the City of Philadelphia. She was later appointed by United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Kim-moon, to work with the United Nations Global Education First Initiative; Youth Advocacy Group. For the last three years, she has traveled to over 15 countries advocating for the rights of every child to have access to quality education.
Follow Jamira on Twitter here.
Solomon Elliott
Solomon is the Founder of The Student View, a news literacy charity creating newsrooms in schools across the UK covering issues including knife crime, child slavery and budget cuts to youth services. At 26, Solomon is listed on Forbes 30 under 30 in the European Media & Marketing category and is an adviser for the BBC Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Group examining the portrayal of the UK’s communities on air, and representation in its workforce.
Hear more from Solomon at @solomonelliott_ and watch his speech at #OYW here.
Sharnay Hearn Davis
Sharnay has been a One Young World Ambassador since 2012 and is the founder of the #SistersLiftingAsWeClimb network. Over the past 10 years, Sharnay has served for the Pittsburgh Mayor's Office and as a Child Welfare Case Manager. She has received numerous awards including being named to the New Pittsburgh Courier's 2018 FAB 40 list. Sharnay is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership.
Follow Sharnay on Twitter here.
Noel Williams
Noel Williams is a youth and justice consultant with first hand experience with the criminal justice system. Through his involvement with as a Criminal Justice Policy Consultant for London Village network, the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB), Peer Power and the The National Counter Terrorism Advisory Group advising change the life paths of the most vulnerable, especially care leavers, those caught in the criminal system and all those growing up in deprived communities.
Follow Noel on Twitter here.
Izzy Obeng
In 2018, Izzy launched Foundervine - an inclusive startup community where young people from diverse backgrounds come together to build networks and launch startups. Foundervine's focus is on educating aspiring entrepreneurs from under-represented communities – in terms of race, gender and ability – by providing a platform for them to go through the experience of creating a company. Since it launched, Foundervine has helped 2,000 diverse, future leaders create, test and sustain entrepreneurial ventures globally.
Follow Izzy on Twitter here.
Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh
Sizwe published his debut book, Democracy and Delusion: 10 Myths in South African Politics in 2017, holds a DPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford and is a founding organiser of RMF Oxford, a movement to decolonise the curriculum, iconography and demographic profile of the University of Oxford.
Follow Sizwe on Twitter here.
Read his book, Democracy and Delusion.
Aminka Belvitt
Aminka is the founder of two organisations. She founded The ForUsGirls Foundation, which is committed to the celebration, acceptance, and development of marginalised unique, fierce and daring young women and girls. She is also the Founder of Wofem tech Solutions, a platform that empowers and connects entrepreneurial and professional women via video conferencing & webinars.
Follow Aminka on Twitter here.
Guled Ibrahim
Guled co-founded SNABPI- the largest peer-to-peer network exclusively for Somali North American entrepreneurs, professionals and students. He is also part of the Somali American Bar Association. Both organisations work to raise the profile of the Somali community.
Follow Guled on Twitter here.
