- [Man] What community are you proud to belong to?
- I'm part of the Obama foundation Africa leaders community.
We're all change makers in our own right.
The ideas us all to connect and learn from each other.
[Male] Yo this is dope.
- I don't know what's going to happen.
- Oh.
- [Man] So how does this work?
- [Woman] I have now idea we are about to find out.
- [Man] Okay.
- Where do you feel most inspired?
- I feel most inspired in the work that I'm doing
so, I little quick background I actually was
formally incarcerated I spent 5 years of my life in prison
from age 15 to 20 and ever since coming home I have
transformed my life and what I am I'm an organizer,
I'm a graphic organizer, activist and you know
a voice those that are staying behind those bars.
I've been inspired seeing other people succeeding when
they used to be at their lowest
and the lowest in the systems.
- [Woman] That's great.
- [Woman] Wow, yeah.
- [Group] How has your community shaped you?
- [Woman] Oh, okay.
- [Woman] For me, the Hartford community has shaped me
in a sense that it allowed me to see strong people.
Strong people where strong people thrive despite
all their circumstances.
Despite the struggles.
Despite the hardships.
I'm a young black girl representing the city of Hartford.
Representing the University of Connecticut
but at the same time I'm an immigrant I wasn't born here
but I was still afforded that same opportunity that
everybody else around me was.
- Its that little neighborhood that made me who I am
and I wanted to escape from it because I didn't think
this place is never going to change but we are changing it.
We are the ones we see something in it that
other people don't and I'm lucky to be here
with you guys, so.
- [Man] What community are you proud to belong to?
- [Man] So I'm really proud to be apart of the
drag scene especially the Chicago drag scene.
I feel like drag queens have always been like the
mascots of the gay community especially back when
we were like really fight for rights and like
protesting like the beginning of stone wall I feel like
drag queens have always been at the
forefront of the revolution.
I always feel like, yeah we do that.
- [Woman] Actually community is about commonality
And hat's the most important thing that
brings people people together.
I'm apart of the Obama Foundation Africa leaders community.
I was part of the inaugural class from 2018
and so we are all change makers in our own rights
and different capacities across the continent
and kinda through the program that
ideas for us all to connect.
To support each other in our leadership
and learn from each other.
Its really a great community to be apart of.
- [Woman] Really cool.
- [Man] Are you creating positive change in you community?
- [Man] So the world is changing
and my community is changing and we try to connect the
past to the present to the future by bringing together
arriving young people in big cities.
Have hundreds of connections but no roots in that
community so we connect them with
older people in their 80's and 90's who have
deep roots in that community
but fewer connections as they get older.
So we bring them together to share time and experience.
- I talk to people who grew up in the
same community I grew up in and I try to help them
realize the potential that they have
to be and do whatever it is they set their mind out to do.
They're just kinda like reminded that there's
a reason to have hope for the future.
- Amazing, well done.
- [Man] Good job, I liked what you said.
- Yeah that's cool, thank you.
- There is something that inspires all of us
and its about finding those connection points
and those common things that we all care about.
- My place is Chicago and my purpose is to support
and stop the climate change.
- My place is Nigeria
- Chicago, Southside
- Detroit, Michigan
- My purpose is to elevate, celebrate
and empower African girls and women.
- Share peoples stories.
- Be to another young person with the people who
poured into my life were for me.
- My purpose is to change lives.