K. Shakira Washington, Ph.D., is Chief Impact Strategist at Justice + Joy National Collaborative. Her work has included training and engaging young people and community members in participatory action research (PAR), facilitating discussions between impacted community members and decision-makers, and assisting with the design and implementation of research studies focused on issues such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and the impact of adversity and violence during childhood on individual and community well-being. Her most recent work has focused on program and policy change for girls, young women, and gender-expansive young people who have been exposed to various forms of adversity and violence, and the challenges they face because of these experiences, including homelessness, school disconnection and pushout, intergenerational poverty, and juvenile justice and child welfare involvement. Dr. Washington is most passionate about work that engages young people as social change leaders and seeks to shift existing narratives that are antithetical to health and healing.
