Oakland Voices 2019 Correspondents

Amelah El-Amin

Amelah El-Amin is a mother, grandmother, and African American Muslim human rights activist. She has been serving our community for over 25 years. She co-founded Mu’eed, Inc, a non-profit which has coordinated Humanitarian Day in Oakland for the past 11 years, a program which services homeless residents and low-income children. In addition to feeding the hungry, she advocates for elderly. Amelah El-Amin is a correspondent for Oakland Voices. Email her at oaklandvoices5@gmail.com.<br>

Dr. Ayodele Nzinga

Dr. Ayodele Nzinga is an award-winning producer, actress, director, poet, playwright, and activist. She is the founding director of The Lower Bottom Playaz, Inc. as well as the founding director of the Black Arts Movement Business District.She is author of the books, The Horse Eaters and SorrowLand Oracle. She was inducted into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of fame in 2017 for her contributions to Art and Culture. Ayodele is a correspondent for Oakland Voices. Email her at wordslanger@gmail.com.

Brandy Collins

Brandy Collins is a blogger and public education advocate. She is concerned with civic engagement and making government work more efficiently for the people.

Dishonne “Khalifa” Muhammad

Dishonne “Khalifa” Muhammad, is an Educator, born and raised in San Francisco, CA. She has taught various subjects, here in the U. S. as well as English, as a second language, both in Shanghai, China and Ghana, West Africa. Khalifa is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she earned her B. A., in Sociology, and Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona where she earned her M. A. in Public Administration. Khalifa enjoys world travel, writing, spending time with her children, and various expressions of art – such as theater and photography.

Iris M. Crawford

Iris M. Crawford is a poet and climate justice advocate. Hailing from New York City, she is a first-generation Guyanese- American. Her educational journey and now professional career has had a focus on empowering communities of color through health care advocacy, education and now, environmental justice. She has a keen interest in exploring the intersections of original peoples from around the world. Besides all of this, you can always her nose in a good book or on Yelp searching for the nearest boba tea spot. Iris is a correspondent for Oakland Voices. Email her at oaklandvoices5@gmail.com.

Klein Lieu

Klein Lieu is a software engineer from Oakland and based in Oakland. He studied Cognitive Science at UC Berkeley and served as an ASUC Senator. He enjoys building apps that make a difference in the world and his goal is to one day connect computers and social causes together. He believes we can solve systemic problems in the world using computers.

Markaya Spikes

Markaya Spikes is young African American female native of Oakland. She is currently “Homeless” in East Oakland due to financial hardship. Markaya has started a mission of advocacy,networking and pioneering a self governed communities for curbside residents who are also facing “Homelessness”. Markaya is a full time mom to her 8 year old daughter, Markaya is passionate about changing the narrative of “Homeless” as well as other social injustice, she is a leader with big ideas and the determination to see them achieved.

Yadira Cervantes

Yadira Cervantes is a mother, a psychology student, and a photographer. Yadira migrated from the town of Guanajuato in Mexico at age 14. After high school, she became one of the first Spanish-speaking sexual assault state certified counsellors in the Bay Area and later volunteered two years at BAWAR (Bay Area Woman Against Rape). She received her Associates degreesEarly Child Development and photography from the Peralta Colleges. colleges. She is married and a mother of two. Yadira loves the diversity of the Bay Area and truly enjoys helping others. Yadira is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Human Development with a minor in psychology.