Kharisma Redding

“Helping is at my core,” says Kharisma Redding. That’s led to her to a life of activism, but it took her a long time to find a community that was a perfect fit for her advocacy. “Myra has been trying to get me to come to Mothers and Others for Justice for years,” she says with a smile.

“Myra” is Myra Smith, one of the group’s leaders. Kharisma would object that she herself is not a mother. Myra would remind her of the and others part of the name. Kharisma had been doing research into her own heritage and one of the mentors she met along the way told her to work with matriarchs.

The light finally came on.

“There’s a vibe there that I’ve never gotten anywhere else: Pure, loving, supportive,” Kharisma says.

Kharisma has experienced many of the issues MOFJ uplifts: homelessness, surviving on low-wage “women’s work” as a early childhood educator; and falling off the “benefits cliff” when she made too much to qualify for SNAP, but not enough to afford healthy groceries.

Now a full-time student, Kharisma dreams of starting her own record label. No matter where her career leads, she will never stop being an advocate. “MOFJ give me hope. It gives me a sparkle,” she says. “Through Mothers and Others for Justice, I can help open people’s eyes.”