Social Justice Reader Cohort 2023 - The Institute Library

Cohort 2023 SJR Readers + Mentors

Thank you to the Supporters of the Social Justice Reader Program at the Institute Library

The Institute Library celebrates the brilliant scholarship of the second Social Justice Reader cohort of 2023! We are hosting nine New Haven high school students in a paid mentorship and research-based fellowship program. Each Reader is encouraged to pursue an area of study related to race or social justice. We are pleased and immensely proud of the following 2023 SJR Readers and grateful for the guidance and support of their SJR Mentors.

SJR Readers 2023

Andreas Mateo Kennedy, Hamden CT
Presentation: Zine App on Color Discrimination of Trans People
“What social justice means to me isn’t really one thing, it’s multiple. It means speaking out on the injustices I have faced being Puerto Rican Taíno, being queer, being autistic, etc. It’s allying with other marginalized communities I am not a part of, having solidarity to work against our oppressors. There can be no revolution, no change, without community. With the working class working together, that is how you rise against the upper class and 1%. With sharing Boricua food with my friends, exchanging our cultures and standing strong, we can fight against our White oppressors. Social justice is to fight for your rights, your loved one’s rights, your neighbors’ rights, and more. Social justice is to protest, to write to legislators, to sit in meetings and not back down, to be loud and not shield yourself. The first PRIDE was a riot, and that knowledge is something I keep deep inside of me at all times. There was no change by being nice, by being complicit.”

Mentor: Zino Adjroud
Zino Adjroud (they/he) is an Innovation Fellow at Tsai CITY, where he develops programming for the Innovator’s Toolkit and Creative and Civic Innovator pathways. Most recently, Zino was the Senior Development Writer at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas where he managed the organization’s grant portfolio. Previously, Zino was a Transgender Employment Project Research Fellow at the DC Office of Human Rights, during which time they spearheaded a survey and focus group research project on employment discrimination against DC’s transgender and/or nonbinary community. Zino holds a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, where they majored in Culture and Politics.

Angelo Sevilla, New Haven CT
Presentation: Effects of Urban Renewal in New Haven*
“Social Justice can mean many different things to many different groups of people. For me Social Justice means standing up for people who are different from you.”

Mentor: Isaac Bloodworth, New Haven CT
Isaac Bloodworth is a New Haven native and Black Artist. He is a graduate from the University of Connecticut’s Puppet Arts Program. Bloodworth’s works centers around his blackness and the experiences of the black community in America. He envisions a world in which his original characters not only survive but thrive. An experienced muralist, Bloodworth collaborated with Citywide Youth Coalition to paint a permanent installation at their Black and Brown Power Center on Chapel Street. His latest mural was installed by The City of New Haven’s Department of Arts Culture and The Town Green Special; Services District at City Hall. One of his favored methods of storytelling is through puppetry, using a style called “Crankie.” He has performed his puppet works for the Lineage Group at Art Space and at City-Wide Open Studios. Through his murals and puppet performances, he hopes to inspire youth in the black community to see themselves in a positive light and help them understand their lived experiences. Bloodworth is on staff at the Yale Center for British Arts. He is affiliated with NXTHVN as well as a company member of A Broken Umbrella Theatre and an improviser in The Regicides.

Annika James, New Haven CT
Presentation: Podcast on Black Men and the Prison System*
“What social justice means to me is equal access to economic, political and social rights. Also, equal access to opportunities and resources. Regardless of gender, race or sexuality”

Mentor: Shamain McAllister, New Haven CT
Shamain McAllister – known to most as Sha, represents Irvington/Newark, New Jersey. In May of 2018, she received a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management with a minor in criminal justice from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT. While in undergrad, she served on the Student Government Association as Vice President of Advocacy and the Director of Student Concerns. She also founded the Student Justice League, a student led organization whose mission is to bring awareness of local and global injustices to campus and execute tangible solutions as students.

Despite Sha’s major, serving the community is her purpose. She serves as a Co-Coordinator for the Elm City Lit Fest and podcast. Elm City Lit is an annual celebration of books, LITerature and LITerary artists with the purpose of enhancing LITeracy while promoting awareness of local, regional and global artists of the African diaspora. Sha previously has served as the Development Coordinator for the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she serves as the Community Impact Manager for the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.

Sha is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., a sisterhood rooted in scholarship, sisterhood, service, and finer womanhood.

Ayana Salahuddin, New Haven CT
Presentation: Disparities for Black Women in STEM
“Social justice is the provision of equal access to education, healthcare, housing, and everything else needed to survive, thrive and prosper in society. People who pursue social equity and equality, strive to make the world a place where all feel safe and included.”

Mentor: Juanita Austin, New Haven CT
Juanita Austin is a curator and cultural producer, born and raised in New London, Connecticut. A graduate from the University of Connecticut, with a B.A. in Digital Media & Design with a minor in Human Rights, she has served as a leader on many grassroots community arts initiatives. Her work centers on supporting underrepresented artists, particularly Black and Queer folks, and creating safe and equitable spaces for those artists to thrive. After working in the New London Arts Community for over four years, she has now transitioned to New Haven where she works as the Producer for the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. She also serves as the Special Events Producer for the CT Office of the Arts. Juanita’s work has built bridges with arts communities across the state. She’s strongly passionate about building community and creating experiences that bring art into everyone’s lives.

Juanita has always had an interest in using her skills as a tool for social justice advocacy, whether it’s doing documentary photography for social protests or volunteering her digital media skills nonprofits. She is excited to work with motivated nd passionate young folks as a mentor for the Social Justice Reader Program.

Jonas Ward, New Haven CT
Presentation: Effects of Urban Renewal in New Haven*
Mentor: Isaac Bloodworth
Presentation 2022: A Brief History of Haiti

Mentor: A. J. Wallace, New Haven CT
My name is Andre Jordan Chonnay-Wallace but you can call me AJ. I come from many places – a few including Baguio, Philippines; West Africa; and the desert soils of southern California. When I am not organizing you can find me gardening, surfing, or knitting. If I have the time to read for fun, I am usually accompanied by Octavia Butler, Elaine Castillo, or bell hooks. My commitment to social justice is rooted in the endless possibilities to make life-giving worlds and the lifelong struggle for liberation and self-determination.

Natshon Spearman, New Haven CT
Presentation: Maternal Health Disparities of Black Women Presentation: African American Maternal Mortality
“Social justice is the concept that everyone deserves equal opportunities, economic, and political rights. Social justice means to me fairness for all. Everyone will have the same experiences, rights, opportunities, and basic benefits that millions of people are currently lacking.”

Mentor: Raheem Nelson, New Haven CT
Raheem Nelson is an Artist based in New Haven, CT. He went to the School of Visual Arts and completed his education with a BFA in Cartooning. He has a background in traditional cartooning and oil painting. Currently he creates his personal and professional work on an iPad using the Procreate app. He specializes in Graphic Recording, Portraits and Pop Art. Raheem’s work has been featured by NFT NYC 2023, Arts and Ideas, The Shops at Yale, New Haven Cultural, The Arts Council, The Tie Bar and Power to The Patients.

Raheem is the Marketing director for the Milford Arts Council

Roniece Richardson, New Haven CT
Presentation: Podcast on Black Men and the Prison System*
“Social justice to me means equal rights and privileges within the community. It’s a view of everyone getting social, economic and political rights that everyone deserves the same justice.”

Sha is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., a sisterhood rooted in scholarship, sisterhood, service, and finer womanhood.

Toni Odom Kelly, New Haven CT
Presentation: PEAS — a short film on discrimination of Black hair
“Social Justice to me is the form of advocating for those failed by society around them. Having courageous people speak and act for those wronged by the world is so important and can make an impactful & lasting difference for the world.”

Mentor: Victoria McRaven, Chester CT
Victoria McCraven was the Programs Manager at NXTHVN. She is passionate about expanding historical narratives through the visual arts and creating community-based dialogue. Victoria earned her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, majoring in Geography and minoring in Art History. While at Dartmouth, she worked at the Hood Museum of Art where she curated the exhibition Black Bodies on the Cross which included works by Romare Bearden, Kara Walker, and Ashley Bryan. In 2019, Victoria was selected as a U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Postgraduate Grantee to complete her master’s degree in history of art at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Previously, Victoria was the 2020-2021 Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow at the Saint Louis Art Museum, where she worked on curatorial, education, and audience development projects across the museum.

Tenzin Youdon, New Haven CT
Presentation: The Stain on My Face
“Social justice to me is equity, equality, and most shadowed upon endurance. It’s giving society a chance at equal opportunities and rights; however, that aspect of endurance is an essential part of social justice that is overlooked because it is not easy to reform a prejudiced and systemically racist society. Social justice is unceasingly fighting for equality and building a righteous atmosphere that flourishes with diversity.”

Mentor: Zanaly Leon, West Haven CT
Zanaiya Leon, the Assistant Director for the Office of Inclusion and Diversity at the Yale School of Management. Prior to this, I served as the Assistant Director of the Myatt Center for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of New Haven where I received my MBA in Strategic Leadership. Additionally, I am also the host of “Catch Some Z’s” podcast which is an honest record of a young woman’s journey in pursuit of her wildest dreams. I am also an artist manager at Richvlle Management & Creative Consulting.

My primary goals in personal development include learning languages. At this time I am at an intermediate level with Spanish, and a beginner level in French and Haitian Creole.

A graduate of the University of New Haven with a B.S. in Business Management and an MBA in Strategic Leadership, she has pursued professional opportunities that align with her dynamic interests. She has spent time in a variety of sectors including arts administration and higher education, and she takes joy in using the lessons from her past experiences to shape her future.

Her current role as Assistant Director of the Office of Inclusion and Diversity at the Yale School of Management allows her the unique opportunity to incorporate her personal values into her work that serves a variety of populations. Independently, Zanaiya is the host of the Catch Some Z’s Podcast which encourages listeners to pursue the lives of their wildest dreams. She is also the founder and manager of Richvlle Management and Creative Consulting – an artist management company to support artists and creatives in achieving their professional goals.

Zanaiya enjoys spending her leisure time in good company with her wonderful friends and family, tasting and enjoying delicious foods, studying Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole, or resting. Zanaiya is committed to leaving a positive mark on this world and invites you to do the same.

*indicates a partnered project

The following are the 2023 Cohorts presenting their projects at the Social Justice Reader program reception on Saturday, June 24, 2023.