The Lack of Mentorship in the Black Community

Series Two

This episode of #TheNewAbnormal features an interview with Taji Chesimet, who is an activist, advocate, and student. 

He's Executive Director of 'Raising Justice' a nonprofit organization actively working to dismantle systems that deny young people their basic public safety. Their work combines Policy Advocacy, Grassroots Organizing and Education and Training that proves when we dismantle racial, generational, and class injustice and create safe public spaces, we validate young people’s need to feel welcome, safe, and treasured. 

In addition, he spent a year as an intern at the ACLU of Oregon - a nonpartisan dedicated to the defending and advancing civil liberties and civil rights, who believe that the freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people. 

He's also a Project Lead at Black Male Achievement Portland (BMA) designed to assist City leaders in their efforts to improve the life outcomes of Black men and boys; doing so in four key areas: Education, Employment, Family Stability, and Criminal Justice. 

Finally, he's also a Legislative Intern for Representative Akasha-Lawrence Spence in Oregon. So, as you can imagine, I really enjoyed talking with Taji, an incredibly dynamic individual doing seriously important work. 

Oh, and he's still a teenager, at the University of Chicago...