advocacy
Systemic Impact & Community Organizing
March for Racial Justice in Schools & The 10 Demands Lead Organizer & Policy Advocate (2020 – 2021)
In the wake of the 2020 racial justice uprisings, Keziah co-organized city-wide marches with Philadelphia students, teachers, and alumni to demand immediate structural reform within the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). Serving as a key planner and architect of the movement's demands, RJOC's direct advocacy forced the SDP to enact unprecedented, sweeping policy changes, including:
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Magnet School Equity: A complete revamp of the district's highly selective magnet school admissions process to address the declining enrollment of Black students.
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Systemic Representation: The creation and funding of the district's first official Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
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Curriculum & Calendar Reform: The official adoption of Indigenous Peoples' Day and the formal endorsement of the Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools.
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Data Transparency: Forcing the district to publicly release and post the racial demographic data of its teaching staff.
Read the Official Resolutions & Demands: View the Document Here
Press Coverage of the Marches:
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Press Coverage: Chalkbeat Philadelphia | The Philadelphia Inquirer
Groceries for Philly Founder & Organizer (2020)
During the 2020 uprisings, frustrated by media narratives criminalizing Black youth for looting, Keziah pivoted her energy into immediate, productive community care. Utilizing social media to organize a grassroots response, she founded Groceries for Philly. What began as a simple call to friends to help distribute medicine to the elderly and food to families in West and North Philadelphia rapidly expanded into a major mutual aid campaign. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and city protests, the program successfully distributed over $100,000 in necessary goods to residents living in food deserts.
Learn More: Groceries for Philly Campaign Archive