MEET OUR STAFF
Letha Muhammad - Co-Executive Director
Letha Muhammad is the Co-Executive Director of the Education Justice Alliance (EJA), based in Raleigh, North Carolina. As Co-Director, Letha is working to advance the organization's impact on dismantling the School to Prison and School to Deportation Pipeline in their local school district, Wake County Public Schools, and in other districts across the state. She believes that one of the most effective ways to dismantle the School to Prison Pipeline is to work with parents and families directly impacted by this issue which will help ensure that Black and other students of color have access to quality education. Her work includes engagement and leadership training with parents, families, and community members to ensure they know their rights and how to advocate for themselves and their students. Working with other community stakeholders and organizations to bring awareness to the issue of school pushout is another one of her key roles as director. Letha represents EJA on the Coordinating Committee of the National Dignity in Schools Campaign and serves as their fundraising/finance committee co-chair. Letha is also a member of Muslims for Social Justice (MSJ) and on the Movement to End Islamophobia and Racism (MERI) steering committee. She is a wife and the mother of one school-age child and two young adults.
Jenice Ramírez- Co-Executive Director
Jenice Ramirez is a proud Latina, roots in Puerto Rico, who began as the Executive Director of ISLA NC in 2013. She has focused on bilingualism, multiculturalism, and leadership within the Latinx community. Jenice has been in the education arena for over ten years and has made it her mission to be a part of changing the status quo for the Latino community in NC and pushes for language access and opportunities for the community. Her professional and personal work is guided by the desire to see more women and people of color lead in the field of education. In the last 5 years she has focused on pushing for educational equity in North Carolina and is passionate about seeing a true transformation in the quality of education our students receive across our state. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2010 with a degree in Special Education and a minor in Spanish. Jenice enjoys trips to the beach, spending time outside, relaxing with friends and family, and having dance parties with her little girl, Iva.
Bekah Brown - Policy & Curriculum Curator
Bekah Brown is a passionate advocate for education justice, a former public school teacher, and a proud mama of three. She understands, on a personal level, the obstacles that families of color face when it comes to interacting with the school system. Bekah's determination to not sit back and let the school system fail her own child with a learning disability led her to earn a degree in Education with a Psychology minor from William Peace University.
Bekah is unique in that she's experienced the education system in different roles, having previously served as both a general and special education teacher in the public school system. Her diverse experience provides a wealth of insider knowledge and fuels her unwavering commitment to seeking equitable policies and inclusive curriculums that celebrate diverse cultures for all students and generations.
Bekah firmly believes that parents are the ultimate experts on their children and their needs, making them the most influential champions for their success. She passionately believes that when parents are equipped with knowledge, resources, and support, they can navigate systems with confidence, tap into their own power, and create positive changes in their communities, regardless of the scale.
Surena Johnson- Parent Organizer
Surena Johnson has been a community advocate since 2003 and is a mother of four. She has children who are adopted, disabled, LGBTQ, and born prematurely. As a result, her life has encompassed the gamut of struggle; she understands the changes needed in the systems in which we live. Surena has a history of advocating for change regarding challenges facing people with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, and navigating the medical and child protective services system. She works hard to ensure her children and others won't have to live within these broken systems. She's worked as a gang outreach worker, detention officer, and case manager for first-time youth offenders. She currently runs Orchid Bloom, a nonprofit organization she started that serves people with low resources by creating more avenues to help them maneuver through these broken systems while dismantling and restoring them. Surena is also a Reiki Master and Herbalist who believes that healing from within can bring healing throughout the world.
Debbie Long- Youth Organizer
Debbie The Artist (they/themme) is a non-binary black-queer-feminist-artist who embodies the power of creative expression as a vehicle for social change. Unapologetic in the pursuit of social justice and racial equity, Debbie pictures a revolutionary society where people can exercise their fundamental human rights free from fear; where those who have been most directly impacted by intersecting systems of oppression can truly thrive. This abolitionist politic shows up in all that they do. When they say, “Art is who and what I am”, what they mean is art is their tool, their medicine, their voice and vision. Debbie is a first-generation college student turned community organizer. They graduated with honors from the School of Social Work at the illustrious NC A&T. In 2016 they started organizing with IgniteNC, NextGen Rising, and Queer People of Color Collective calling for the abolition of all oppressive regimes, ice + police brutality, and student debt. As an organizing tactic, Debbie strives to center youth voices and power as often as possible with the understanding that intergenerational movements are inherently valuable, liberating and more sustainable. Their belief in the power of strong communities led them to grassroots organizing and years engaged on the ground—base building, strategizing, and learning from other organizers about how to effectively deliver on the values they hold in their heart about social justice. Debbie has worked with Southerners on New Ground as the Durham Chapter Fellow and Lead organizer on winning voting rights for incarcerated people, ending cash bail and pretrial detention, and melting ICE. The songbird hails from Durham, North Carolina where they shake, make, bake, and create.
Fernando Martinez - Strategic Advisor
Prior to joining EJA, Fernando served as the first National Field Organizer for the Dignity in Schools Campaign, where he supported coalition members throughout the country to build a movement led by the students and parents most impacted by pushout and criminalization in schools. Most recently, Fernando served as an adult ally and supported the formation process of the National Youth Alliance for Boys and Men of Color. Born in El Salvador, Fernando started his organizing career in the late 80's organizing youth groups in churches during that country's civil war. After moving to the United States, he continued his fight for social justice with community-based organizations. He served as the first organizer for the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA), which fought back against anti-immigrant laws. In New Jersey, he started the Paterson Chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee (SEOC), where he organized parents to win the construction of two new schools for the city of Paterson and for the return of Music and Arts programs to the classrooms.