After an exhaustive search, the What’s Your Forté Foundation and our partner the Community Justice Action Fund through their End Gun Violence 365 Project is pleased to announce our Community Justice Fellows.
Community Justice Influencer Fellowship
Darius Townsel
Darius Townsel was born and raised on the West side of Chicago. He is the youngest of 6 siblings. He attends Curie High School where he plays football. Looking toward graduation, Darius plans to play professional football so he can provide for his family. Attending college is important because he wants his family and twin brother in heaven to be proud of him. Upon hearing about the Community Justice Fellowship, Darius applied to the fellowship because he wants to solve the problems with guns and help victims and their families get justice.
Lakiya Charleston
Lakiya Charleston is a 17 year old Chicago native. She is a basketball manager for Perspectives Leader Academy & Team M.O.R.E . As a past sports player, she now prefers to spend her time involved in dance. After high school LaKiya is planning on attending a trade school to become an esthetician & cosmetologist! Never to rest on just one revenue source and talent, Lakiya will also pursue an acting career! Becoming a Community Justice Fellow was important to her so she could let her story be heard and change who has access to guns.
Our Community Justice Fellows Program engages youth 14-20 years old in research, development, and other related activities focused on their experience with gun violence. Through storytelling, this program will specifically focus on the narrative from black and brown communities. The partnership’s goals include capturing storytelling videos centering on community, personal experience, and the current climate of gun violence. The Fellows’ body of work will not only underscore their trauma but highlight the tangential impacts, challenges to progress, inroads, and will forecast innovative solutions. With guidance and training provided by CJAF and Black With No Chaser social media consultants; the fellowship will culminate in a deliverable that will transform the conversation around gun violence and its messenger.