De’Ann was born in Canada and raised in the United States of America. She has always been intrigued by philanthropic work and was privileged to experience various cultures and ethnicities. As a child, she faced the harsh reality that not everyone receives equal treatment in society, recognizing that the struggles within the community resulted from more significant problems of social injustice, discrimination, and racism. From age ten, she knew she would dedicate her life to raising awareness and advocating for change for minority groups and communities.

De’Ann graduated from Ontario Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, specializing in Social Justice, Globalization, and Development. De’Ann is presently a student at Arizona State University enrolled in the Social Justice and Human Rights MA program (online).

Through volunteer opportunities and community work, she has developed a strong knowledge of the nation’s and Ontario’s legislative offices and parliament. De’Ann is a passionate dual citizen of Canada and the United States of America, which has made her diverse in both nations’ politics. Eager to learn everything there is to know about social justice, policy, and governance, through her work with POBC, she has been able to advocate and educate others on the harms of Anti-Black Racism in the education system across Canada and the United States.

Her academic and career goals include exploring the effectiveness and ability of education systems and systems alike to serve students belonging to minority groups when policies, procedures, and foundational principles of these systems date back to times of colonialism and white supremacy. The only system that has yet to face significant changes and restructuring is the education system. De’Ann believes it is time to reconsider and reimagine the formative years of education. It is time for education to evolve.

Topics Covered:

• Advocacy
• Policy Analyzation
• Equitable System Development