Black Girl Democracy

LEAD COORDINATOR

Sydney Sims (she/her) is an incoming freshman at Howard University from Atlanta planning to study political science with a focus on social justice, advocacy, and community-centered change. Passionate about using policy and public engagement to address inequality and support underserved communities, she has spent much of her time at Marist School pursuing leadership opportunities rooted in communication, creativity, and service. Through speech and debate, Sydney developed strong skills in policy analysis, public speaking, and civic discourse while conducting extensive research on intellectual property law and other complex policy issues. Her experience examining how legislation impacts innovation, access, and equity strengthened her interest in the intersection of law, government, and social advocacy. That same interest in storytelling and public engagement carried into her work as Director of Studio Operations for Marist Broadcasting Club, where she helped lead student-produced media and collaborative productions, as well as her involvement in Black Student Alliance, peer leadership, student ambassador programs, and community service initiatives throughout Atlanta.

In addition to her leadership and advocacy work, Sydney is deeply involved in the arts. She has participated in more than ten theatre productions through Marist Theatre, performed as a singer and soloist with Marist Singers, and worked both as a student and instructor at Young Chef’s Academy. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, crocheting, editing, watching movies, and playing guitar and accordion.

FOUNDER & ADVISOR

Anaya Young (she/her) graduated from Mountain Island Charter School in Charlotte, NC and is a sophomore at Duke University. A creative, she’s a proud section leader of her school band and is deeply inspired by poets, particularly Black women. Having attended schools in predominantly white settings, she is particularly moved by the work of the late and great poet Nikki Giovanni who was not only able to address social issues through her poetry, but also strong political and activist perspectives, from Black rights to women’s and LGBTQ+ rights. Anaya has found that reading poems written by Black women offers her a sense of comfort and relatability in such uncertain and chaotic times. Among the issues she addressed as a NYAC fellow was to explore colorism among Black women and its impact on social and economic opportunities, the school-to-prison pipeline, and LGBTQ+ exclusion in our education systems. In college, she hopes to study both Psychology and Women and Gender Studies and feels the advocacy fellowship will introduce her to students who share her experiences as well as those from different backgrounds.

FOUNDER & ADVISOR

Anicya Haywood (she/her) is a sophomore at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA and graduated from EE Smith High School in Fayetteville, NC where she attended their Science and Math Academy where she was a starter on the Varsity Soccer team and the Auxiliary Dance Team for the Magnificent Marching Machine Band. An advocate for Voting Rights, especially in North Carolina, she has helped register people to vote and voted in her first election in November 2024. A Psychology major at Spelman, she is joining the Georgia Youth Advocacy Fellowship on the backs of her NYAC project, Black Girl Democracy, which is working to provide voter education and awareness to Black girls who will vote for the first time in the next two years. Anicya is also concerned about women’s rights and believes that bodily autonomy should extend to areas like the Crown Act, which protects students' rights to wear or treat their hair however they desire, without the threat of racial discrimination or loss of access to school, participation in activities, and inclusion in opportunities inside and beyond typical classrooms.

REASERCH MENTOR

Benetta is a native of Erwin, North Carolina and attended Duke University where she studied Public Policy as well as Syracuse University where she received a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Innovation Management Marketing from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. A Motivated and Driven Program Management (PMO) Leader with extensive experience in global financial services and banking,
Benetta is Senior Vice President, Program Manager of their Strategic Initiatives Program Management Office at Bank of America.

RESEARCH MENTOR

Evan is a native of Smyrna, Georgia. He is a 2020 graduate of Georgia State University with a degree in Public Policy, a minor in Cello Performance, and an inductee to Georgia State University’s 2022 40 under 40 class. At GSU, Evan was a founding member of his Vote Everywhere, where he led civic engagement programming on campus. Evan now works as a VoteFlare Associate at the Shorenstein Center for Media and Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School and as the Senior Economic Policy Advisor at the Netherlands Consulate.