Meet Demetria Mosley; Communication Specialist
by WREN Staff on Jul 11, 2022
Where are you from?
I am a native of Columbia but my family is from a small town in Williamsburg country called Lane. There are no stores or streetlights in the town, just one little gas station on the outskirts that sells really good hogshead cheese and hot dogs.
I say I am from Columbia, but my people are from Lane and that is just as important to me as where I have physically lived.
What did you do previously before coming to WREN?
I have worked in newsrooms across the U.S. partnering with communities to share their stories. In my most recent role at a community development financial nonprofit, I traveled across the state to connect with people of color, women, low-income individuals, and those in rural communities to share their stories around barriers to capital.
What drove you to get involved in this cause?
Langston Hughes wrote about his life as a Black not being a crystal staircase. As a Black Queer Non-binary femme, my very existence is a threat to those wanting to uphold white supremacy culture and thinking. I am involved in this cause because it directly impacts my life and the people of my community.
When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time?
I am either out somewhere thrifting or playing in the soil. This past year I’ve been walking around my neighborhood foraging for herbs and fruits. It has been fun learning about all the plant medicine that exists in my backyard.
If you could meet one person from any period of time, who would it be?
I would like to meet one of my enslaved ancestors. I would tell them that there’s a future where their descendants can rest, play and have rights but there’s still a long way to go. I would want them to know I am fighting for our people.
What is one mantra that you live by?
You see your face. You see a flaw. How. If you are the only one who has this face – Nayyirah Waheed
What’s one thing you’re excited about that’s coming up in 2022?
I am currently in a BIPOC Birthworkers Mentorship Cohort with Birth Bruja working with a collective of people for ten weeks to deepen our understanding & practice of sustainable, decolonial, community-based approaches to healing & reproductive care.