Our Constituency and Leadership
Jahajee Sisters’ constituency, staff, and Steering Committee are comprised of a diverse group of inter-generational Indo-Caribbean women and gender-fluid people. We embrace reflective practices and team-building to establish a strong core group of leaders who recognize and identify with the gender justice challenges in our community and share a common vision for change.
Our Staff
Simone Devi Jhingoor, Co-Director (she/her)
Simone is an artist, social entrepreneur and embodied leadership coach who brings knowledge and expertise in program development, resource mobilization, organizational change and event production. For over a decade, she has supported youth of color in NYC to become cultural and community organizers; has led transformational leadership development programs for women of color to center their healing; and has produced dynamic cultural events to create a platform for artists of color. Simone is proud to be a co-founder of Jahajee Sisters and now the first Co-Director. She is committed to building the power of survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence to fight for gender justice in the Indo-Caribbean community. Simone continues to consult through her family business, Media Sutra, with social justice organizations to support them to become more visible, impactful and sustainable. She also trains and coaches women of color and gender-fluid leaders to make a lasting imprint on the world by tapping into their inner wisdom to realize their life’s purpose. Simone previously served as the Director of External Communications at the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco) where she led the organization’s communications efforts and managed institutional funder relationships. Her other experience includes running SAYA!’s first Desi Girls on Da Rise Program in Richmond Hill for teens and creating a ground-breaking youth development program called Linking Identity to Living Arts (LILA) for the Rajkumari Cultural Center that was taken into Queens public schools. In her spare time, Simone enjoys penning and performing poetry that speaks to her unique experience as an Indo-Caribbean woman growing up in the Boogie Down Bronx.
Simone is an artist, social entrepreneur and embodied leadership coach who brings knowledge and expertise in program development, resource mobilization, organizational change and event production. For over a decade, she has supported youth of color in NYC to become cultural and community organizers; has led transformational leadership development programs for women of color to center their healing; and has produced dynamic cultural events to create a platform for artists of color. Simone is proud to be a co-founder of Jahajee Sisters and now the first Co-Director. She is committed to building the power of survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence to fight for gender justice in the Indo-Caribbean community. Simone continues to consult through her family business, Media Sutra, with social justice organizations to support them to become more visible, impactful and sustainable. She also trains and coaches women of color and gender-fluid leaders to make a lasting imprint on the world by tapping into their inner wisdom to realize their life’s purpose. Simone previously served as the Director of External Communications at the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco) where she led the organization’s communications efforts and managed institutional funder relationships. Her other experience includes running SAYA!’s first Desi Girls on Da Rise Program in Richmond Hill for teens and creating a ground-breaking youth development program called Linking Identity to Living Arts (LILA) for the Rajkumari Cultural Center that was taken into Queens public schools. In her spare time, Simone enjoys penning and performing poetry that speaks to her unique experience as an Indo-Caribbean woman growing up in the Boogie Down Bronx.
Shivana Jorawar, Co-Director (she/they)
Shivana is a queer first-generation Guyanese American and intersectional feminist who believes in unapologetically speaking truth to power. She is a founding member of Jahajee Sisters and brings 10 years of experience as a policy advocate, organizer, and storyteller. She has served as State Legislative Counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights and directed federal policy advocacy at the National Abortion Federation. For over four years, she directed reproductive justice priorities for the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), running advocacy campaigns, leading coalitions, developing youth leadership, and serving as a voice for Asian American and Pacific Islander women in Washington, D.C. Her additional experience includes working with Sakhi for South Asian Women, where she led the organization’s first outreach effort in the Indo-Caribbean neighborhood of Richmond Hill, Queens. She has also served on the boards of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance and Washington D.C.'s LGBTQ organization Khush DC. Her writing and commentary have been featured in many outlets, including The Hill, The American Prospect, Colorlines, the Nation, the Associated Press and the Harvard Asian American Law Journal. She is also a proud abortion storyteller with the We Testify project. Originally from the Bronx, Shivana holds a B.A. in Political Science from Fordham University and a J.D. from Emory University School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in New York state. Follow Shivana on Twitter @shivspeaks and on Instagram @shivlandia.
Shivana is a queer first-generation Guyanese American and intersectional feminist who believes in unapologetically speaking truth to power. She is a founding member of Jahajee Sisters and brings 10 years of experience as a policy advocate, organizer, and storyteller. She has served as State Legislative Counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights and directed federal policy advocacy at the National Abortion Federation. For over four years, she directed reproductive justice priorities for the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), running advocacy campaigns, leading coalitions, developing youth leadership, and serving as a voice for Asian American and Pacific Islander women in Washington, D.C. Her additional experience includes working with Sakhi for South Asian Women, where she led the organization’s first outreach effort in the Indo-Caribbean neighborhood of Richmond Hill, Queens. She has also served on the boards of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance and Washington D.C.'s LGBTQ organization Khush DC. Her writing and commentary have been featured in many outlets, including The Hill, The American Prospect, Colorlines, the Nation, the Associated Press and the Harvard Asian American Law Journal. She is also a proud abortion storyteller with the We Testify project. Originally from the Bronx, Shivana holds a B.A. in Political Science from Fordham University and a J.D. from Emory University School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in New York state. Follow Shivana on Twitter @shivspeaks and on Instagram @shivlandia.
Our Steering Committee
Sonya Abadali (she/her) is a second generation Guyanese American who was born and raised in Richmond Hill, Queens NY. She is currently a graduate student and researcher focusing on the genetics involved in schizophrenia at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She holds a BS in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University where she served as a sexual assault crisis hotline responder. She is an intersectional feminist who is passionate about teaching and mentoring students in STEM fields. She holds a leadership position as an educator and mentor to high school and middle school students in the Young Eisner Scholars (YES) program. She advocates on issues pertaining to healthcare and gender inequality among underrepresented communities. She is currently the New York Student Free Clinic Conference Coordinator and an Access–to–Care Case Manager at the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership Clinic. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, scoping out new food places with her sisters, and dabbling in various business ventures.
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Anita Baksh (she/her) is a first generation Indo-Caribbean educator and was a participant of the Jahajee Leadership Empowerment Institute. Born in Suriname, she spent her childhood in Guyana and grew up in various parts of the New York City area. She is a professor at the City University of New York and has published academic articles on Indian Caribbean culture and literature. Anita obtained her BA from St. John’s University and her PhD from the University of Maryland. Her teaching focusses on gender and social justice. She has been involved in the Indo-Caribbean community in Richmind Hill since college, serving as a mentor for Indo-Caribbean Alliance (ICA) and assisting in curating the Indo-Caribbean media and literature collection at the Lefferts Branch of the Queens Public Library. She enjoys spending time with family and reading Caribbean fiction. |
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Arita Balaram (she/her) identifies as an Indo-Caribbean activist/scholar from the Bronx. She is working on her PhD in Psychology at CUNY Graduate Center where she spends her days thinking about race, gender, and the legacies of colonialism. She is interested in the stories that circulate within diasporas, across borders, and through generations. She has taught classes on the psychology of gender and sexuality at Hunter College and LaGuardia Community College and has had her writing published by Social and Personality Psychology Compass and the Urban Research Network. Her activism and academic work reflect her commitments to issues of justice and healing, and to strengthening the bonds between womxn of color. |
Nadia Bourne (they/them) is an Indo-Guyanese artist and educator who graduated from the first Jahajee Sisters Young Women’s Leadership Institute. She was a youth leader and blogger at SPARK Movement, a girl-fueled, intergenerational activist organization working online to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement. Nadia often collaborates with other Indo-Caribbean community-based organizations by performing poetry and music. She is an Apprentice Engineer at the Rajkumari Cultural Center where she coordinates the audio and video needs of performers and producers, and develops content and strategies for recording. Nadia received her B.A. in English from St. John’s University. In addition to serving our Steering Committee, Nadia facilitates our Leadership & Empowerment Institute and Sister Circles.
Lisa Maria Ramadhar (she/her) is a program evaluator in New York City. With a background in public health, her work focuses on addressing structural barriers to health equity. Recently, she has been evaluating capacity building efforts to address organizational policies and practices that promote health inequities. This work operates on the principle that if we can eliminate inequities in the way we do our work, then we can eliminate inequities in health that are based on social identities and position. Lisa's social justice work began in adolescence when she discovered her passion for serving her community. In various volunteer appointments, she has served as a sexual assault crisis counselor, tutor for disadvantaged high schoolers preparing for the SAT, and counselor for individuals living with severe mental illness. In 2014, when Michael Brown was murdered, Lisa realized that her service to her community could be enhanced by being politically active to call attention to injustice and advocating for change. Service-oriented volunteerism could help individuals, but political activism could change entire communities and society as a whole. This was the beginning of her activism, which has evolved from participating in her first march to a more focused effort to promote the safety of people of all gender identities in the Indo-Caribbean community as a member of the Jahajee Sisters Steering Committee. Lisa is a Guyanese immigrant, who enjoys coffee in the morning, tea at night, and a good game of "trop chal" with her cousins.
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Nathalie Sarju (she/her) is a first-generation, Indo-Caribbean trailblazer, proud daughter, and big sister. She currently serves as a Mental Health Clinician for Henry Street Settlement's School-Based Mental Health Clinics where she empowers families to dream beyond their zip code and provides therapy to youth aged 5-12. From growing up in Miami, Fl, Nathalie believes in spreading rays of sunshine to those in need and supporting others to "dance in the rain while they wait for the rainbow." She is an advocate for young women and serves as the Programs Chair on the National Board of Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE). Nathalie graduated from the University of Central Florida with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology where she maintained her role as a mental health advocate and mentor to young people. Nathalie is also a graduate of Columbia University where she earned her Master of Social Work with a concentration in Clinical Practice and Family, Youth and Children. In her free time, Nathalie can be found on foodventures seeking out oversized dessert and the best Cacio e Pepe in NYC or planning her next getaway!
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Polly Singh (she/her) has dedicated her career to improving urban systems and nonprofit organizations across the US to better support young people and families living at the margins. Her work spans the youth development and education sectors using research and change management strategies to improve services. Pollyis committed to improving practice through the integration of equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as evolving her own thinking. She is first generation Guyanese-American. During her childhood, she lived in Cove and John on the East Coast of Guyana. In much of her professional work, she draws upon her personal experience as a mother and being part of the Indo-Caribbean immigrant community in Queens. She currently serves as co-chair of the New York chapter of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. Polly received her BA from Hamilton College and her MPA from Baruch College. |
