JFA Leadership
Matt Allen
Founder Vice President Yo, My name is Matt Allen and I am a young black man who is just trying to do his best to help his community. I was born in Bronx, New York but moved to MN when I was young and have lived here basically my whole life. It's wild that I find myself here in this position because before all of this popped off I was (and still am) a Hip Hop artist, Nur-D. After seeing the extreme violence against the peaceful protestors after the murder of George Floyd both by the Minneapolis Police Department I knew that something had to be done to keep people safe during this time. So what first began as me, a friend, and a two strangers walking around a burning parking lot patching people up by cell phone light has transformed into a powerful organization for good. My dream is continue to use my platform to help JFA succeed in it's mission to protecting those fighting for a better world for all of us. |
Deshann Sanchez
President My name is Deshann Sanchez and I'm the current president and a founding member of Justice Frontlin Aid. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas - I moved up to Minnesota in 2011 for college. I had always wanted to do international relief and community development work. I spent some brief time overseas learning about different models of community development and signed on to do a year of AmeriCorps after college. During that year my passion for mental health work, especially in people of color as well as the immigrant and refugee community lead me down a new path. Justice, to me, means everyone getting the resources and rights they inherently deserve and need in order to flourish. I believe then that "aid" is being the tool that helps empower people along that path. My dream for the future is providing equal access to education and resources for communities of color affected by trauma. |