Leaders

Banner Images: Leaders in training, taking action on immigration justice, and canvassing voters on the Fair Share Amendment.

We believe that leaders in our communities aren’t all elected or even appointed. We are talking about the leaders who witness inequities and injustices, often at their own front doors. They don’t just shake their heads and sit back. Instead, they shake things up and step into their power impacting not only their own lives, but the lives of others who they might not have even met yet. This is the type of leadership that begins to undo oppressive systems hundreds of years in the making. It’s not overnight work, and there are no quick fixes, when it comes to disrupting the status quo on the issues of most importance to our leaders.

Organizers train leaders, so that leaders can organize.
In other words, grassroots community organizing is all about developing leaders to become their most bold, powerful, and authentic selves. Those leaders then carry on the work of impacting lives and transforming systems.

Each year at Carry It On, our annual friendraising fundraiser, we highlight one Shining Star from each of our seven affiliates. Keep reading to learn about these leaders through the years.

Shining Stars 2023

  • she always looking to grow. It impacts every aspect of her work and inspires others to do the same. She is determined to learn whatever she needs to learn in order to reach her goals and is willing to put herself in uncomfortable situations and expose herself to new experiences in order to do so. Over the past year, this has been the number one factor in how much she has grown as a leader and, from here, the sky is the limit.

  • as she serves as a Youth SOL leader at heading into her junior year of high school. She works on the School Policy Team, the Community Safety Team, and the Fundraising Committee. She is consistent and always ready to push herself to the next level of leadership, taking on new roles all the time. She is a “get it done” type of person, who jumps right on a task. The School Policy Team led research around Brockton High School’s antiquated and detrimental attendance policy and wrote a new policy, which was praised by Brockton’s Superintendent of Schools and awaits approval from School Committee. Trinity has spearheaded a major youth-led health and wellness community survey that will impact multiple Youth SOL/BIC teams. She is creative and solution focused and well respected by her peers and adult allies. (October 2023)

Trinity is described as…
Dedicated, Determined, Motivated

Bil is described as…
Creative,Dedicated, Passionate, Committed

  • he has a very unique lens that has been shaped by his lived experience and he utilizes it to guide his work. As a former police officer, who has a great eye for community, he is equipped to speak truth to power.

  • because while he is usually the type of person who is facilitating, he has taken a step back to truly learn. He has been a thought partner in shaping future WI efforts and his consistency has made him an integral part of our current process of rebuilding our base. (October 2023)

Joaquim is described as…
Bold, Charismatic, Compassionate

  • he is always willing to step up and step into leadership. As he has not shyed away from his own leadership, he has set an example for other youth as it pulls them in which has been great for the development of the youth movement in general.

  • through overall advocacy and leadership as he has rallied together with other young people and applied pressure onto the city council. He has made it known that Boston needs to defund the police and put money into youth jobs, affordable housing, community led responses to mental health crises and participatory budgeting. (October 2023)

Rops is described as…
Loyal, Dedicated, Loving, Selfless

  • he is deeply loyal to his Haitian community and its youth and he brings them forward in everything he does giving them opportunities to learn and lead in order to not only make a better life for Haitian immigrants, but for all people in Lynn.

  • because he has single handedly put the black immigrant experience at the center of ECCO’s circle of concern. In turn, he is galvanizing youth engagement in ECCO recruiting a loyal following of over 40 leaders who are advancing ECCO’s affordable housing agenda. (October 2023)

DajahRose Haith-King
Pioneer Valley Project (PVP)

DajahRose is described as…
Fearless, Focussed, Compassionate

  • she has shown a willingness to move through her vulnerability as she goes forward in her leadership journey, trying new things, growing her public presence and voice and facing power with courage and determination.

  • through her mentorship of other teen leaders and her constant presence from the beginning of PVP’s teen mental health campaign, speaking at every action and guiding the strategic direction of the campaign. (October 2023)

Rev. Dr. Victor Price
Prophetic Resistance Boston (PRB)

Pastor Victor is described as…
PRB Anchor, Passionate, Power Builder

  • he can tell the story of PRB as though he owns, lives and breathes it, because he has moved from being a silent observer to a powerful leader!

    He offers up his church and his congregation members to participate in PRB meetings and events. He recruits youth to do voter engagement, helps organize the Re-Entry Summit for Returning Citizens, leads the organizing work around employment with MASSHire and Mass General Brigham to ensure returning citizens and other Boston residents have employment opportunities. He also helps to lead on the National Night Out in Grove Hall Committee.

  • because his word is bond. Everything he says he will do and he gets done on an over achievement level. He is the person that helps to maintain the principles and the mission of Prophetic Resistance Boston and anchors the leadership. (October 2023)

Janice is described as…
Fearless, Determined, Passionate

  • as a Fall River native of over 60 years, and a longtime member of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Janice is very faithful and determined to show up for herself and others. Janice has taught faith formation at the Cathedral for many years, and is a paraprofessional with special needs students in the Fall River Public School system. While in the school system she developed a concern for immigrant children, in particular, and their families’ challenges of language, culture, and laws that often prohibit their full potential. Janice has been active in UIA’s immigration and housing campaigns and police and criminal justice reform work. She speaks up for her family requesting individual meetings with state officials and speaking out in public at our community actions. Janice is also committed to doing more outreach to build UIA through organizing UIA’s participation in many neighborhood group meetings in recent months to our listening campaign to hear concerns and invite others into our organizing.

  • because she has grown tremendously over the last six years since she became active in UIA. She has grown from being a participant who wanted to remain behind the scenes and silent to a powerful leader who is no longer afraid to speak out. Janice has become a vocal leader in our public safety and reform campaigns along with our most recent work on housing. She has been organizing neighborhood meetings with officials on her own with other leaders, speaking out on the challenges of housing in the city while standing in front of the Mayor who disagreed with what she was sharing in public. This past year has really brought Janice into the forefront of UIA’s organizing. She is determined to keep growing UIA and building our power to make a positive impact and true change for those struggling on the margins. From her own family’s challenges to the larger community, Janice is committed to keep up the good fight and WIN! (October 2023)

Shining Stars 2022

Shining Stars 2021

Shining Stars 2020

Shining Stars 2019

Shining Stars 2018

Shining Stars 2017