In honor of Black History Month, Sadie Nash Leadership Project presents a conversation with Salamishah Tillet, whose work embodies the fight for racial and gender justice. This gathering will bring Nashers and our community together to honor the legacy of Black liberation movements while imagining what leadership and justice look like today. Our guest will share personal reflections, insights, and strategies for change—offering inspiration and concrete lessons for Nashers as they design and lead their own projects. The event will include a talk, Q&A, and space for conversation and mingling with light refreshments.

The ELLA Fellowship — named for social activist Ella Baker — stands for Engage, Learn, Lead and Act. It’s a year-long program offering in-depth project development experience as Fellows bring to life a meaningful, ambitious social justice project in their community.

A scholar, writer, and activist, Salamishah Tillet (she/her) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2022 for her work as a contributing critic at large for The New York Times where she has been writing since 2015. She is the author of In Search of the Color Purple: The Story of an American Masterpiece (Abrams, 2021), and Sites of Slavery: Citizenship and Racial Democracy in the Post-Civil Rights Imagination (Duke University Press, 2012). For a complete bio, see www.salamishah.com.

The evening will also include a performance by Kai Diata Giovanni (they/them), 2025 New York City Youth Poet Laureate and member of the 2026 Nuyorican Poets Cafe Slam Team. Kai has organized and performed locally, nationally and internationally as an artivist (artist-activist) for many years--including at the Guggenheim Museum, Lincoln Center, the WNBA, Barclays Center, TEDx, and more. Their work routinely explores race, rage, radical justice, and belonging. They currently attend Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Registration is free, but space is limited!

Please note: This is not an accessible space. Guests will need to use stairs to access the event.

ELLA Voices: Building Black Futures

By Sadie Nash Leadership Project

ELLA Voices: Building Black Futures