Q&A with National Advisory Board member Addisu Demissie, who has more than 20 years of professional experience in political advocacy and campaign strategy. He started his career as a legal and research assistant at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, fighting to preserve affirmative action and fight reactionary judicial appointments. In 2003, Demissie was a field organizer in Iowa for John Kerry’s successful Iowa caucus and has since led campaigns at the national, state, and local level for electoral, nonprofit, and corporate clients. 

Our National Director Michael Bland shared his thoughts on diversity in elected positions in Blavity.

The Leaders of Color program was launched to support Black and Latino people as they work to become community leaders. Community leadership can mean a lot of things, including running for elected office. We are proud that two Leaders of Color alumni ran for office in the New York City election primaries in June 2021. Abou Diakhate (for Council District 49 in Staten Island) and Jermaine Sean Smith (for Council District 27 in Queens) both graduated from the Leaders of Color inaugural cohort in New York City in 2020.

In April 2021, we introduced our inaugural National Advisory Board. In this new series of posts, we’re diving in with our board members to learn about their careers, inspirations, and vision for the future.

In April 2021, we introduced our inaugural National Advisory Board. In this new series of posts, we’re diving in with our board members to learn about their careers, inspirations, and vision for the future.

Political leadership and the public policy those leaders set can be some of the greatest determinants of social, economic, and health outcomes for citizens. This is especially true for communities of color that have experienced intentional marginalization in this country through government and other government-supported actors. Over time, the increased access to opportunities in the public sector for people of color in America has not yielded the overwhelming success one would expect, due in large part to elections and election outcomes.

Spoiler Alert: The answer to this question is a resounding “yes, and we’re doing it every day.” Academically, civic engagement is defined as “working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.” (Excerpted from Civic Responsibility and Higher Education, edited by Thomas Ehrlich, published by Oryx Press, 2000, Preface, page vi.)

The Leaders of Color program launched in 2018 to elevate the tremendous talent of community-based leaders of color. Since then, 81 leaders have emerged from the program ready to bring change to their communities. These are their stories.