FOUNDER, FEMALES FOR CHRIST MINISTRIES

Troy, AL

Three top issues I’m working on:
1. Using biblical principles to help heal and be delivered from trauma /wounds.

2. Assisting females in finding their gifting and recognizing their importance in this world.

3. Organizing and starting the Wiregrass Black Chamber of Commerce of which I am the Chair, we cover 8 counties.

One superpower I bring to this group is my belief that all things are possible.

Learn More: Ada is the founder of Females for Christ Ministries, (1996) a ministry that deals with broken/hurting females. She is also an ordained Evangelist (non-denominational).

She was born in the city of Troy, AL on March 20, 1959, in her grandparents home which is still standing. She traveled quite a bit and returned home in 2005. She is the fourth of seven children with 2 older brothers and 2 younger ones, one older sister and one younger; "I am smack dab in the middle."

At the age of 63, she completed her BA degree. She is an entrepreneur that was instrumental in organizing and starting the Wiregrass Black Chamber of Commerce. Their mission is to build, support and promote economic development and growth for our businesses, non-profits, churches and communities in the wiregrass area.

She is also a third-generation seamstress by way of gifting (owner of Tailored 2 Fit).

Her passions are ministry, (serving others) sewing (creating her own styles), and justice (seeking justice in an unjust world).

JOURNALIST, ALABAMA POLITICAL REPORTER & LIBRARY DIRECTOR, MOUNT VERNON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Mobile, AL

Three top issues I’m working on:
1. Reporting on Alabama issues, specifically, the Alabama prison system.

2. Calling out and examining forms of “copaganda” i.e. the the use of propaganda by state security forces to minimize and normalize their use of violence and media’s amplification of this propaganda.

3. Becoming a better librarian to assist my local community.

One superpower I bring to this group is asking uncomfortable questions.

DIRECTOR, SPLC ALABAMA STATE OFFICE

Huntsville, AL

Three top issues I’m working on:
– Civic Engagement
– Economic Justice
– Leadership Development

One superpower I bring to this group is my willingness to learn, ability to connect others to resources and a deep commitment and passion to help Alabama transform.

Learn More: Tafeni English-Relf is the director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Alabama state office. A native of Alabama, she builds partnerships with local communities to advance the SPLC’s mission to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people.

She has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Troy University, where she also earned a master’s degree in counseling and psychology.

ORGANIZER, ALABAMA ARISE

Athens, AL

Three top issues I’m working on:
1. Growing the coalition of everyday people fighting poverty at the state policy level in Alabama.

2. Strengthening the labor movement in North Alabama and across the South.

3. Sustaining and expanding labor media that can amplify the voices of the working class in the American South.

One superpower I bring to this group is my firm conviction that a better world is not only possible, but necessary, and that an interracial, working class mass movement is how we win it.

Learn More: A lifelong Southerner, Adam has spent more than a decade as an activist and organizer in north Alabama and has been involved in a variety of campaigns and organizations fighting for a better Alabama for all. Adam is a former high school history teacher and spent more than five years representing educators in Huntsville. He is a union stagehand with IATSE 900 and is proud to volunteer for his local as political coordinator and as a delegate to the North Alabama Labor Council.

Adam is also co-host and co-producer of The Valley Labor Report, a grassroots media project that produces Alabama's only union talk radio show and podcast. Recently, Adam joined Alabama Arise as their Northeast Alabama Organizer and is excited to work together with justice-minded folks for the positive change we need and deserve.

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, REPRESENTWOMEN

Huntsville, AL

Three top issues I’m working on:
1. Grassroots leadership developing community healing spaces

2. Commitment to social justice community organizing

3. Raising awareness and understanding in creating race and gender parity

One superpower I bring to this group is creating a safe space in which other people's ideas and feelings can be heard.

Learn More: Michele McCrary was born and still calls Huntsville, AL home. With over a decade of experience in banking and operations, Michele boldly decided to leave her corporate banking career behind to pursue her commitment to social justice.

Michele most recently completed a transformative fellowship with Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, further enriching her understanding of the critical issues at the intersection of race and gender.

Michele is an avid music and movie enthusiast. She dedicates her free time to positively impacting her community through volunteer work, embodying her dedication to creating a more equitable world.