Rising Star, Featuring Denia Smith

EMPOWER Podcast hosted by Bell Global Justice Institute

Tune in for Episode 9 of our podcast to hear from a fabulous young leader, Miss Denia Smith (She/Her/Hers) on how she is advancing civil and human rights as an intersectional changemaker and advocate. Be sure and check out her amazing podcast, "The She Shall Speak Series," to learn more about extraordinary, innovative, and trailblazing Black women and girls.
Read more about Denia below:
Denia Smith (She/Her/Hers) is an intersectional changemaker from New Jersey. She is immensely passionate about racial and gender justice, educational equity, and civic engagement. As a student researcher and grassroots organizer, Denia seeks to empower and mobilize young people in the pursuit of a more just and equitable future.
She is known for organizing a #BlackLivesMatter march garnering 1,000 attendees; reaching over 5,000 students through local and national initiatives pertaining to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); and co-founding the WW-P POC Advocacy: a youth organization implementing racially equitable education reform. As a Youth Advisor on Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common Youth Advisory Board, Denia continues to collaborate with young people to make US schools more just, caring, and inclusive spaces for all students.
Her advocacy expands beyond her community as a Teen Advisor to the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up Campaign, where she advocates for global gender equality. During her tenure, Denia spoke at the 2021 Girl Up Leadership Summit, co-emceed Girl Up’s Inaugural Sports Innovation Lab, and represented Girl Up at the Big Brainstorm, UNF’s annual open-space event designed to provide a platform for intergenerational action on pressing global issues. Denia also explores the intersections of racial and gender justice as a Young Scholar Research Intern at the African American Policy Forum. Her research on Black girls ’self-perception as leaders inspired her to create The She Shall Speak Series, a podcast and empowerment community inspiring Black women and girls to be leaders. Since its creation in February 2022, The She Shall Speak Series has garnered a global audience spanning across 12 U.S. states and 5 countries. Additionally, Denia mobilizes young people for Democratic policies as the Political Director of the New Jersey High School Democrats and Executive Director of the High School Democrats of America’s Black Caucus.
Denia is a three-year alumnus of Black Girls Lead! hosted by BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® at Barnard College of Columbia University. She is a Conversationalist Disruptor, Disney Dreamer, New Jersey Rising Scholar (bestowed by the NJ Department of Education), recipient of the Princeton Prize in Race Relation’s Certificate of Accomplishment, and member of the Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) Global Cohort powered by Women Empowering Nations and Cantu Beauty.