During this Martin Luther King Jr. Day week, I hold Dr. King’s words and vision even closer as we reflect not only on his legacy but also on the reality of this moment in our nation’s present. January 20, 2025, marked the inauguration of an administration that has openly professed its will and intention to roll back and/or eliminate civil rights for the least valued among us. In the face of this challenge, Dr. King’s enduring call to pursue justice, equity, and transformative change is a powerful reminder of our collective responsibility to act.
For StrivEquity Consulting LLC, 2024 has been a year of deeper collaborations, new partnerships, and intentional steps forward, but it has also been a year of reckoning with systemic inequities that continue to shape our country and world. As a Black leader navigating these realities, I remain committed to building a future that honors the dignity of undervalued people and challenges exclusionary systems at their core.
Here are some highlights from 2024:
🙌 Continued Coaching Black and Brown Leaders Through individual coaching and group facilitation, we learned from incredible leaders as they navigated complex systems and championed equity in their fields.
🌱 Joined the Community Kitchen Advisory Team Our work in 2024 brought together advisors, funders, and community stakeholders to sharpen the model, approach, and shape CK as a force for food justice, labor innovation, and community resilience.
💼 Partnering with the New York Health Foundation We designed and are implementing a needs assessment and technical assistance program with the Healthy Food, Healthy Lives team, dedicated to supporting food justice projects through community-driven approaches.
✨ Creative Coaching with PROLOG Collaborating with PROLOG, we unlocked leaders’ creative strengths through profiling, coaching, and team workshops that enrich collaboration and foster creative satisfaction.
🌟 Coached with ROCC Serving as a coach with the Regional Organizers for Community Change (ROCC) Fellowship cohort allowed us to guide leaders as they honed their skills, immersed themselves in leadership practice, and expanded their movement-building communities.
🎙️ Expanded the Not 4 Prophets Podcast Season 2 brought critical conversations about solidarity, Black leadership, and systemic change to the forefront, co-hosted with collaborator Trenia Parham. Stay tuned for Season 3!
🏢 Built the NYC School Food EATS Training into Phase II Partnering with the Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Office of Food and Nutrition Services, we crafted equity-driven training for farmers and food producers, aligning leadership, policy, and practice to drive impact.
📚 Published insights with Williams College I shared reflections on resilience, family, and navigating systemic challenges as a Black leader on a career break, offering lessons learned to inform and engage my fellow alumni.
🏆 Facilitated the future of Food Policy Councils Collaborating with Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, we hosted sessions across cities, including Houston and Detroit, to reimagine the future of food systems change with stakeholders.
🌈 Deepened Our Commitment to Systems Change Whether through coaching, consulting, or advocacy, 2024 was about laying the groundwork for equity-driven leadership and systemic transformation.
This week, as we celebrate Dr. King’s legacy and face the road ahead, I am reminded that leadership is not only about vision but also about courage—courage to stand firm, build coalitions, and relentlessly pursue justice, even when the path forward is fraught with challenges.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey—your support, partnership, and belief in this work make it all possible. Let’s carry the visions of Dr. King and other civil rights co-conspirators into 2025 and beyond!
What will you carry forward from Dr. King’s legacy this year?
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