Part of envisioning and building a world in which all Black people are self-determined, safe, and free, includes creating relationships dedicated to the same goal.
For BLM Foundation, those relationships began 9 years ago with organizers who had a vision—and that same vision has carried the organization to incredible heights. Today, those organizers, our board members, continue to push the envelope with their expansive collective experience combating anti-Black violence while creating space for Black imagination and innovation.
BLM Foundation is charting new horizons for Black joy and Black liberation. As we do so, we want to ensure you know the incredible board members who have committed their lives to this mission. Meet D’Zhane Parker and Cicley Gay below!
D’Zhane Parker
Hi beautiful people, D’Zhane Parker here, you can call me Parker!
I am deeply committed to the liberation of Black people across the Diaspora…I LOVE being Black and all of its essence. Being a part of the Black Lives Matter Foundation’s board is an honor; I do not take it lightly, rather as my sacred duty, a calling from the ancestors.
I consider myself a Southern California girl through and through. However, I carry much pride in the history of my lineage. My paternal great-great-great-grandmother migrated to Los Angeles, California from Texas in the early 1930’s, followed by my great-great-grandmother in the early 40’s, who fled Texas after her father was murdered by police officers. My maternal grandmother moved to Southern California from Roxie, Mississippi in the 1960’s because two of her highschool classmates had been lynched. Both of my parents were born and raised in Southern California. Growing up, we would drive from Southern California to Mississippi…what I would pay to be a child again.
Speaking of childhood, my upbringing connects deeply to why I am committed to ending mass incarceration and state-sanctioned violence, the new Jim Crow. Learning about the history of the Black diaspora was the norm in my household—my mother taught me and my siblings about the enslavement of our African Ancestors, and Jim Crow laws. Inevitably, I continued my education on what it means to be Black in America by getting a degree in Pan-African American Studies. My heart shattered in one million pieces when Trayvon Martin was murdered and there was no accountability, a modern day lynching. Since that day, I have made it my personal priority to fight against systemic violence. My heart continues to break for the countless names.
My heart goes out daily to the people who have loved ones on the inside, and who have lost loved ones on the outside due to systemic oppression. I myself know what it is like to have loved ones locked in cages.
We demand to be free of oppression. We must organize using art and activism like many of the freedom fighters before us!
My deep history in grassroots organizing and on-the-ground work is what truly brings me joy. I’ve worked with several nonprofits and local initiatives, community-building in different parts of the country, with system-impacted youth, and women with incarcerated loved ones, and on ballot initiatives that focus on ending the corrupt systems this country was founded on. Connecting and building power within the community is of utmost importance to me.
In a world where we’re constantly fighting oppression, I believe in putting love first. We have to embrace the good and the bad as we fight for change; it is our duty to love one another.
I can’t wait to connect more. We have chains to break as we pick up where our ancestors left off on this road to freedom. It is my honor to serve on behalf of the people. All power to the people!
— D’Zhane
Cicley Gay
Hi Team, it’s Cicley ❤️
And yes, I was indeed named after THE Cicely Tyson, with whom I was able to spend a lot of quality time, in her final years. My name is just spelled slightly differently because my parents, in the most parental thing they would have intended for, wanted me to be unique.
But enough about my name, and more about me. I was born in Topeka, Kansas to two educators—in the shadows of Brown v. Board of Education—but I grew up mostly in South Hampton Roads, Virginia. My upbringing seeded the importance of access to education within my core. I began reading at 3 years old and even skipped a grade in elementary school. I’m a true autodidact and love researching, learning and teaching new things.
This followed me into my work as an adult. I was the founding director of STAND (Students Take Action for New Directions), educating students on the impact of federal budget priorities on Black communities. I even led weekly protests as far back as 2002—and yes, I would do it 10 times over again!
It was during my time in AmeriCorps, a volunteer service effort of the Corporation for National and Community Service, where I learned that serving others was my life’s purpose. I received the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the Obama Administration in 2013. And for over 20 years, my work has consisted of supporting nonprofits and philanthropic organizations supporting our Black communities (this is the 4th time I’ve served on a nonprofit board!)—all while raising my 3 amazing sons as a single mother.
They are a BIG part of the reason why I am passionate about this movement—I’m committed to helping unearth the genius in our children while building a brighter future for them and all generations to come.
All of this to say—there’s so much work to do. And we don’t have to look at the work as solely policy or grassroots work, either. It takes all of us. There are many ways to invest in our communities and elevate the brilliance we have to offer. There are no limits to what we can do together, remember that!
I also truly believe in the power of the arts to shape and share narratives about the Black Diaspora. We cannot disentangle Black liberation from Black creativity. And, on a personal note, I absolutely LOVE musical theater! Any Color Purple fans?
I’m putting my passion for the arts, creativity, and fostering the imaginations of our young ones at the forefront of the work I’m doing as a BLM Foundation board member, and I’m committed to undergird it all with gratitude and love.
Our future holds so much when it comes to advancing this part of the foundation, and I’m honored and excited to see what we will accomplish together.
Onward,
— Cicley
Have a question for one or more of the board members? Submit and connect with the board.
