2021 Effective Practices Conference

Speaker

Ayanna Polk

Communications and Outreach Manager

Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement

Ayanna Polk is a champion for youth activism and civic engagement. She comes to Boston by way of Atlantic City, New Jersey, demonstrating a long-standing commitment as a community leader. Her life as an activist began as the NAACP College Chapter President for Stockton University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Literature and specialization in Digital Literacy.

In her 10 years of local and state leadership in the New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP, Ayanna was considered an advocate for intergenerational involvement in policy changes concerning education, health, voter empowerment, and criminal justice. During her tenure as the NJSCNAACP Youth Works Chair, she diligently worked with adult branches, college chapters, and youth units to organize their GOTV efforts across the state. Ayanna is a creator of the “My Voice, My Vote” voter education series, which focuses on first-time voters and high school students who are close to voting age. Its purpose is to empower young voters to make informed decisions at the ballot box and learn how to be an active citizen past Election Day. As a Regional Lead of the NAACP NextGen Alumni Council, Ayanna supports other young adults in upholding the organization’s national GOTV strategy, community engagement efforts, and internal development of fellows in the NAACP NextGen Professional Leadership Program.

In 2019, Ayanna was appointed to the SPARK Council as a representative of the Dorchester neighborhood. She continues to create opportunities for millennials and Gen Z residents to become owners of the civic process in her involvement as Communications Chair of the Boston’s of New Leaders Council, an innovator in progressive, thought leadership. Ayanna also serves as the Tri-State Social Action Co-Coordinator for the Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

She looks forward to furthering her message of activism with her mantra, “Being an activist means you are an active part of the solution, no matter how big or small. Equity is not a spectator sport.”