News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 24, 2024
10:00 am ET

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Mo Banks
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The Andrew Goodman Foundation Launches Alumni Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized for their time as Ambassadors and Puffin Democracy Fellows, as well as their ongoing commitment to civic engagement, in a virtual ceremony

NEW YORK, NY—In honor of the 10th Anniversary of the Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere program, The Andrew Goodman Foundation is launching an Alumni Hall of Fame. The inaugural cohort includes ten Andrew Goodman Alumni, one from each year of the program since it began in 2014. Inductees are recognized not only for their contributions during their time as Andrew Goodman Ambassadors or Puffin Democracy Fellows but also for their continued dedication to AGF’s mission “to make young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy.”

The Andrew Goodman Foundation will recognize the Alumni Hall of Fame inductees on Wednesday, July 31, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm ET as part of its ninth National Civic Leadership Training Summit. The theme, ’64-’24: The 60th Anniversary of Freedom Summer, reflects a milestone in the history of civil rights and voting advocacy and is inspired by the legacy of Andrew Goodman and the young activists of Freedom Summer 1964. 

The following ten Alumni will be honored during the ceremony:

Anna Del Castillo (she/her), Tufts University ’18

Anna Del Castillo is a Mississippian, Peruvian-Bolivian American, and healer who is innovating at the intersection of justice, politics, and healing. She serves as the Executive Director of Our Own Deep Wells, a social enterprise that is providing resources for healing and revolutionary love. She spent four years serving as an Andrew Goodman Ambassador while at Tufts University and two years serving as an Andrew Goodman Puffin Democracy Fellow while at Harvard University. Anna’s activism and belonging work has been honored with national fellowships and awards, including the IGNITE National Fellowship, the Harvard Presidential Public Service Fellowship, and COLOR Magazine’s 40 Under 40, to name a few. 

Brandon L. Daye (he/him), North Caroline A&T State University ’24

Brandon L. Daye is a passionate individual who is dedicated to empowering young voices and votes as a potent force in democracy, both on his college campus and within surrounding communities. Since Spring 2020, Brandon has supported AGF as an Andrew Goodman Team Leader by cultivating active civic engagement among peers and constituents at North Carolina A&T State University. Beyond electoral participation, Brandon exemplifies a broader vision where young people are pivotal in shaping a sustainable and just future. By advocating for inclusive policies and organizing community service projects to educate and excite voters, Brandon inspires fellow students to embrace their roles as proactive community members. Brandon’s efforts reflect a commitment to nurturing active, engaged citizens who understand and address local and global challenges. 

Cyrus Commissariat (he/him), Arizona State University ’21

Cyrus Commissariat is a proud graduate of the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in Chicago, Illinois, where he received his JD and LLM in Tax Law. He will begin his career at Northern Trust as an Associate Wealth Advisor, where he will help the bank’s ultra-high net worth clients with their estate planning needs. While in law school he worked to advance education equity while working at Legal Aid Chicago and encouraged greater involvement in the Chicagoland area. The skills he learned as an Andrew Goodman Ambassador have been invaluable in his exploration of the law, and he hopes to continue being of service.

Evan Malbrough (he/him), Georgia State University ‘20

Evan Malbrough is a native of Smyrna, Georgia. He is a 2020 graduate of Georgia State University with a degree in Public Policy, a minor in Cello Performance, and an inductee to Georgia State University’s 2022 40 Under 40 class. At GSU, Evan was a founding member of the Vote Everywhere chapter, where, as an Andrew Goodman Ambassador, he led civic engagement programming on campus. Upon graduating, Evan became a 2020 Puffin Democracy Fellow with The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Evan founded the Georgia Youth Poll Worker Project, recruiting 1,000 poll workers for the 2020 general election and 2021 runoff election. The ACLU of Georgia officially acquired the Georgia Youth Poll Worker Project in December 2021, naming him a Voter Access Project Fellow. Evan has been published in Forbes, Teen Vogue, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Evan now serves as the Organizing Manager for Our Turn in Atlanta.

Janiah Bene’ Henry (she/her), Clark Atlanta University ‘23

Janiah Bene’ Henry, an organizer from Byron, GA, has been dedicated to empowering communities through political engagement and social justice since the age of 13. Growing up witnessing the challenges faced by marginalized groups, Janiah developed a strong commitment to civic duty and the fight for equity. Janiah earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Clark Atlanta University, graduating cum laude in May 2023. Her passion for social justice and political activism deepened through her involvement with organizations such as The Andrew Goodman Foundation and CAU Votes, where she served as Chair. In her role as the Black Youth Renaissance Project Coordinator for Black Voters Matter and Represent Georgia, Janiah has mobilized and organized youth on college campuses and surrounding areas, with a major focus on HBCUs. Currently pre-law, Janiah is preparing for law school with the ultimate goal of practicing civil rights, immigration, and sports entertainment law. 

Jonian Rafti (he/him), Bard College ‘15

Jonian Rafti is an associate in the Corporate Department and a member of the Health Care Group at Proskauer Rose LLP. He represents private equity investors, health systems, management companies, physician groups, and lenders in complex transactional and health care regulatory matters. He has previously served as member of the Board of Directors and Vice Chair of The Andrew Goodman Foundation, and member of the Bard College Center for Civic Engagement’s Young Alumni Advisory Council.

Skylar Mitchell (she/her), Spelman College ‘19

Skylar Mitchell is a Brooklyn-based writer-producer, and researcher studying how liberational practices subtextually emerge through visual materiality and art. In her media career, she has held editorial positions at CNN and Condé Nast, between curatorial assistant roles and post-bac studies in Global Thought. During her matriculations at Spelman College and Columbia University, she researched digital media forecasting and its connections to American and World History. These fields of exploration were buttressed by Skylar’s liberal arts foundations in Women’s Studies, which continue to frame her lens as a Black queer feminist. Her organizing and political reporting background is a buttress for additional ongoing work in the art, fashion, and design spaces that inform her queries about the aesthetic economy. In her spare time, she makes collages and zines through her blogging and archiving space smitch + co.

Tamia Fowlkes (she/her), University of Wisconsin-Madison ‘22 

Tamia Fowlkes is a Public Investigator at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She earned her Master of Science in Journalism from Columbia University – Graduate School of Journalism in 2023. Before joining JS, she completed internships at the Washington Post, the Rachel Maddow Show, USA Today – Network, and the Wisconsin State Journal. She previously served as an intern for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Investigative Watchdog Team as a part of the Pulitzer Prize Finalist Wires and Fires Investigation. Tamia completed undergraduate studies at The University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Political Science with certificates in Gender and Women’s Studies and Leadership. Her work explores housing, politics, disability, climate, and the arts.

Usjid Hameed (he/him), Towson University ‘17

Usjid Hameed is a former Andrew Goodman Ambassador and Puffin Democracy Fellow. During his tenure as a Puffin Democracy Fellow, he initiated and spearheaded the “Expanding the Ballot” initiative, which facilitated language assistance for voters through the recruitment of over 40 multilingual poll workers. Currently, Usjid serves as a consultant for PwC Strategy& where he advises private equity clients on transaction strategy. He earned a BS in Political Science from Towson University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Valencia Richardson (she/her), Louisiana State University ‘16

Valencia Richardson is Legal Counsel for Voting Rights at Campaign Legal Center. Before law school, Valencia was a Fulbright grantee to Mexico and an Andrew Goodman Ambassador, Puffin Democracy Fellow, and later board member for The Andrew Goodman Foundation. She is the author of a nonfiction book, “Young and Disaffected,” and published “Voting While Poor: Reviving the Twenty-Fourth Amendment and Eliminating the Modern-Day Poll Tax” in the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy. Valencia has litigated voting rights cases in state and federal court, including Aguilar v. Yakima County, the first case litigated under the Washington Voting Rights Act. Valencia is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.,  2020) and Louisiana State University (B.A., 2016). 

All are welcome to join ‘64-’24. Register at 64to24.org to attend.

About The Andrew Goodman Foundation

The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s mission is to make young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy by training the next generation of leaders, engaging young voters, and challenging restrictive voter suppression laws. The organization is named after Andrew Goodman, a Freedom Summer volunteer and champion of equality and voting rights who was murdered, alongside James Earl Chaney and Michael Schwerner, by the KKK in 1964 while registering Black Americans to vote in Mississippi. To learn more, visit www.andrewgoodman.org. 

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