@mairaka, chicago worldwide
writer + organizer/producer/manager/curator
— same skills, different words
director of public strategy at a non-profit journalism organization based on the South Side of Chicago. i lead collaborations for maximum impact of our (pulitzer-prize winning) human rights reporting, which focuses on police misconduct, governmental neglect, and imagining the future of public safety. we also make Chicago Police misconduct data accessible on CPDP.co and manage the Chicago Police Torture Archive.
organizer and former local school council member at Hyde Park Academy, focused on addressing ongoing displacement of students’ families since the announcement of the Obama Presidential Center across the street.
Not Me We organizes poor and working class Black residents of South Shore & the surrounding neighborhoods to build infrastructure for individual and collective repatriation of resources and power on the South Side. We organize around housing, education, and mutual aid.
organizer and co-founder of emergency pandemic response turned sustainable food aid. we source produce from local/Midwest farms and distribute monthly to 420+ homes across the South Side via a committed volunteer network. you can volunteer the last 2 Saturdays of the month, and $30 covers the cost of a bag (produce, eggs, meat) — your recurring donation of any amount keeps this mutual aid effort going.
artist management, who would’ve thought? her live shows brought a new joy to my life and they can change yours too.
booking: shawneedeztunes@gmail.com