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Here you’ll find rest, rejuvenation,
+ time to reimagine our collective liberation.
RETREAT + REIMAGINE ORGANIZERS
ASHLEY THOMAS (SHE/HER)
Ashley K. Thomas is a researcher, facilitator, + coach standing with communities healing for liberation + decolonization. She currently serves as a Program Manger at USC Equity Research Institute where she conducts quantitative + qualitative research on building governing power in disinvested communities + creating an inclusive + equitable economy. Ashley has spent nearly 15 years in movement work, building power with communities of color, particularly for women of color, as experts who can create innovative solutions to our collective challenges.
KAMANI HARRIS (THEY/THEM)
Kamani is a Compton native who currently resides in Los Angeles + finds joy in Community Organizing, Curating + facilitating Healing Spaces, + Education. Kamani spent five years working within the public education system with students with emotional, behavioral, + developmental disabilities before transitioning into Community Organizing. They transitioned upon the realization that there needs to be a dismantling of the current system we live under + the creation of a new one that serves all people, starting with those who are most impacted by oppression, domination, and injustice. By organizing power-building campaigns and creating and executing community engagement strategies around Justice Reform and Public Health, Kamani recognized a need to connect healing + spiritual work to organizing. Kamani believes that if we do not, we risk creating systems that still only benefit those with perceived power over others. Kamani now serves as a Senior Organizer at a Black Feminist institution that centers healing + community building in their power-building work while also working on separate education projects and with Retreat and Reimagine.
KHRYSTA ROBINSON (SHE/HER)
Khrysta Robinson is a creator, an educator, + a healing facilitator. In her work, she embraces poli-spiritual practices to contribute to the liberation of Black folx. In her previous role as a high school history teacher, Khrysta used a culturally responsive lens to develop critical thinking skills among her students. In her spare time, she created Brave Spaces for the small population of Black female students through mentorship programs + events. Khrysta has since stepped away from the classroom + is a Training + Development Facilitator for the L.A. LGBT Center.
KRISTEN GORDON (SHE/HER)
From concept to impact, Kristen Gordon is a community developer + space curator who challenges society’s long held notions regarding who gets to have agency + take up space. During her five years of service in the office of Los Angeles City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Kristen has secured more than $120 million funding for the office’s various undertakings. Additionally, Kristen has facilitated projects with the intention of placing a spotlight on the history, culture, + joy that thrives within Black communities, as is evident in her work on Destination Crenshaw. Moving forward, Kristen is looking to extend a practice of holistic community development through her understanding of the systemic, environmental, + personal factors that shape the outcomes of communities of color.
