About this Talk
Ayanna Najuma’s life journey began at the age of seven when she participated in a sit-in at Katz Drug Store’s lunch counter in Oklahoma City, an event that preceded several years before the sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina. In February 2018, Scholastics’ Weekly Reader magazine featured Ayanna as the cover story, “Kids Fought for Change.” Over five million grade schoolers read about her commitment to make change and she received over 25,000 letters from students around the country who were interested in making a difference in the world. In 2019, Scholastics Storyworks published the play Ayanna the Brave. Ayanna traveled the country with Julia Clifford, documentary filmmaker of Children of the Civil Rights, sharing her story as a participant in the civil rights movement. She has launched I Have A Voice Now! a movement designed to empower and encourage children to utilize their own voice for equity and equality in society, as well as educate them on the importance of activism and advocacy.