I have made it my life’s mission to raise awareness and “speak truth to power” to educate others on the value, knowledge, lived experience, and contributions made every day to communities around the country alongside my colleagues Diane Sullivan and Jimmieka Mills.
Sharing my story began when I was the first mother to join #witnessestohunger. I was given a free camera by Dr. Mariana Chilton and was asked if I was willing to share my story through pictures. Doing so brought me the opportunity to be featured in the documentary #Aplaceatthetable. This documentary changed my life and gave me the opportunity to speak across the country including at The White House and working with amazing advocates nationwide, and notable celebrities like Maria Shriver.
My mission now is to help others learn the power of their voice, to speak with passion, purpose, and power. To remind them that WE DO MATTER! I want to eliminate the stigma society puts on people who come from low-income neighborhoods and someday have my own nonprofit to further my mission of helping others. I want to continue to uplift the voices of POC and help end the stigmas that keep us trapped in our circumstances.
If you have witnessed one of my speaking engagements, please feel free to leave a testimonial! I would enjoy hearing from you! Connect With Me
My work and story have been featured in numerous publications, including the examples below.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer: A Hunger Fighter Determined to Share Her Story
- Media Sanctuary: Barbie Izquierdo, Community Empowerment Manager with Hunger Free America talks about food insecurity and shares her story.
- Drexel Now: A Philadelphia Witness to Hunger Takes the Spotlight in a Documentary Film on Hunger in America
- Serving Food Solutions: Never Give Up the Fight- Food Insecure
- Reuters: Hungry Americans get “A Place at the Table” in new documentary
- The Shriver Report: Witness to Hunger Representative
- The Gazette: Too expensive to eat- Families share challenges of living in Johnson County