BeKura Waliah Shabazz , Neighbor

Ms. BeKura W. Shabazz brings over two decades of grassroots and professional advocacy experience to diverse issue areas. With a focus on law and legal system navigation, environmental injustice, and child welfare reform, she currently serves as the Community Engagement Liaison for the Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative, Natural Resources Career Specialist for the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Program, and the Mini Democracy Center Lead for Chesterfield and Richmond, Virginia. Ms. Shabazz is also the Founder and President of the Criminal Injustice Reform Network, First Alliance Consulting LLC, and the Coalition for Families Against Child Separation.

Previously, she held roles such as Director of Legal Empowerment for Life After Release and Dean of Instruction for the Justice and Liberation Institute in Prince George's County, Maryland. Ms. Shabazz has been at the forefront of state and federal legislation on climate change, sea level rise as the State lead for the Virginia Conservation Network. In her commitment to combating systemic oppression and racist nonprofit culture, she has served and serves in various capacities, including President of the National Environmental Justice Academy Alumni Association, Chair of the Social Justice and Health Disparities committee for the Va. Green New Deal, Virginia Community Rights Network Board member, Citizens Advisory Council Board member and Stewardship and Engagement Subcommittee Chair, member of the Chesapeake Bay Program Steering Committee, Diversity workgroup Wetlands workgroup and member of the Executive Council. Ms. Shabazz is a trailblazer for making the connections between the intersections of criminal injustice and environmental injustice. Shabazz, single handedly fought for the change of George Mason University policy that discriminated against felons and would not allow felons to speak at university events, Shabazz (not a felon) refused to speak at an event until the policy was changed. Her dedication to fighting against disenfranchisement along with support from MEJA student organization at GMU, addressed the issue with the administration and had the policy removed.

(Read more here: https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/.../article_b9ee62ba-778a...)

Ms. Shabazz dedicates extensive efforts to reforming federal and state policies concerning child welfare, addressing issues like kinship placement, preventing the separation of children from their biological families, and advocating for second opinions and oversight of state Children Services Departments. Collaborating with renowned abolitionist movement attorney Lisa Sangoi, she co-authored "Black Feminist Thought Grounds and Centers Us: A Reflection by Two Activists and Legal Workers." Ms. Shabazz has also taken a leading role in facilitating professional panel discussions on systemic harm in policy and medicine, state-sanctioned homelessness and state mandated single parentage, at prestigious institutions such as Yale School of Law, Harvard School of Law, Boston Medical College, and Vanderbilt School of Law. (Read our publication here:

https://openyls.law.yale.edu/handle/20.500.13051/18256)

(video on Reproductive Justice https://vimeo.com/711043539 with Dr. Toni M. Bond)

Ms. Shabazz's impact extends nationally, evidenced by her roles as former President of the Newport News Chapter of the Coalition for Justice for Civil Rights, Former Vice President of the Coalition for Justice for Civil Rights, Former Chesterfield NAACP Criminal Justice committee chair, Former Petersburg NAACP Vice President and Criminal Justice Chair, current Environmental Justice Chair for the Petersburg NAACP, Va Environmental Justice Collaborative Internal Policy Chair and Board member. She also contributes to the Advisory Board of the Virginia Human Rights Network, Executive Council for the Citizens Advisory Council for the Chesapeake Bay Program, and serves on the boards of FLIPP Inc., the National African American Family Preservation Association, and Helping Others to Transform. Ms. Shabazz runs her organizations Fines, Cost and Garnishments Program, Non-Attorney Legal Advocacy Program, Homelessness mitigation Program, Driver's License Reinstatement Program and Community Service Program. Sha currently has the only virtual community service program in the country.

(More on non-attorney legal advocacy https://richmond.com/.../article_a0210133-15c0-55da-b106...)

Certified as a mediator, conflict resolution specialist, and non-attorney legal advocate, Ms. Shabazz leads initiatives such as Mothers Against Mandatory Minimums, Electrify Virginia, End Environmental Injustice Now, and One City One Voice, showcasing her impactful advocacy and legal expertise nationwide.