Her Story
About Aaliyah
My journey into nonprofit work and authorship began in 2022 when my late fiance was killed in front of me while we were at work. At the time, I was young with a young son, and because we hadn't gotten married yet, I wasn't getting access to a lot of the support services available. I started advocating and speaking out, which got the attention from the White House and a bunch of national leaders. When I got back, I decided to start a nonprofit. I had no advocacy experience, no knowledge of nonprofits or writing at the time - I was literally learning as I went, just using my genuine lived experience to teach others. I ended up getting into different fellowships and programming to help me learn the business of it and how to make it something sustainable. Now I'm a certified grief coach and grief subject matter expert, and I'm the youngest founder and executive director in Georgia leading this work. I built everything from the inside out, asking myself what did I need the most that I couldn't get, and through surveys and talking to other families and collecting data, we identified what most people need in the aftermath. Our goal is to support families who have been impacted by gun violence during the aftermath, reducing financial hardship, emotional hardship, and providing legal support. I also wrote a book that's pretty much a guide through grief for families who aren't able or don't have access to our programming - they can use this at home. The healing curriculum we created for our program, I translated it into book form. It's been four years now, and I'm continuing to do the work, having had the opportunity to learn so much through other nonprofit leaders and programs and different fellowships.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Aaliyah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I was so determined - my determination and my drive were crucial. But I think one of the most important elements to the success I have now is that I was not afraid to be vulnerable, to cry, to be like, I am struggling. Even now, I tell people I'm still on a healing journey - you can't look at it like it's a destination. My transparency, my vulnerability, my determination - I think so many people could just relate to what I've gone through. Not from a sense of someone getting killed, but just being a young mom and trying to figure life out and all these different things. I wanted people to see my scars so that they could also see the healing process and just my survival skills. I think that the pain that I felt would allow me to push through.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One piece of advice that really, really stuck with me is that real resilience is not pretending that nothing hurts you, but allowing yourself to acknowledge that something hurt, but not allowing it to destroy you. I also received reminders that I had to give myself: use your voice. Your voice is your superpower, and you would be surprised at how many people can heal from your story. And just don't be afraid to tell your story, and just to heal out loud, so that others feel like they can too.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell her, don't wait until she feels fully ready or fully qualified or fully fearless, because most people never do. A lot of people think purpose starts with confidence, when it really starts with care. If it's something that you genuinely care about, whether that's animals, children, grief, community, start there. Passion and consistency will carry you further than perfection ever will.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think one of the biggest challenges now is with the current administration, there's not much funding going into gun violence and prevention - especially not as much that will be needed. I also think the emotional exhaustion that can come and burnout is something that can happen, especially in grief work. And being a grassroots organization, we're expected to operate at a high level while still trying to be funded fairly and supported consistently. So I think those would be two major challenges.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Two values that come to top of mind that are really big for me - one is authenticity. I never wanted to hide who I am. I believe vulnerability creates connection, and people need to connect when they feel seen and just less alone. Another huge value is compassion. Pain changes people, trauma changes people, so I try to lead with empathy in both my personal life and through work, because you never know what someone had to survive just to make it through that day. I would also say community, resilience, and integrity are so important. I believe how you treat people when nobody is watching is really important.
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