Advisory Council

THE FRAILTY MYTHS ADVISORY COUNCIL

Amy Hutto

Amy has been working with her hands ever since adolescence when her father first drafted her to help make home repairs, tend the family garden and fix cars. She has worked in the building trades, mostly as an electrician, for 35 years. In the struggle to be accepted as a woman in a male-dominated field, Amy fell prey to believing in her own "exceptionalism," but after some years she started to see and understand the pain of the separation she was making between herself and other women. She now adamantly believes that any women who wants to can be successful in the building trades. Further, she thinks that in many cases women are better at building than men, in that women tend to plan better and be more precise and thorough when organizing projects. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to volunteer some of her skills in the context of Frailty Myths workshops, and dreams about a day when gender just isn't a thing...

BRIANNA GIBSON

Brianna Latrell Gibson is a loud Black queer woman from Prince George’s County, MD. She is also an organizer and direct action practitioner who decided to dive deep into the movement during the Ferguson uprising in 2014. That decision has led her to connect and build with many brilliant Black folks around the world and she has since made a commitment to dedicate her life to the struggle for Black liberation. Brianna is currently one of two National Organizing Co-Chairs for BYP100, a member of the BYP100 New York City Chapter, an active member of the BlackOUT Collective (a Black direct action training collective), and an occasional climb trainer with Greenpeace. She prides herself in being a devoted daughter, partner, and Super Auntie who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. In her spare time, she enjoys burgers, dancing, sarcasm, scrolling Twitter, and vibing to music with the loves of her life.

CHARLES LONG

Charles Long is a Chicago based artist, activist and Black liberationist. He has worked in communities across the United States with poor, disabled, young, LGBT, currently/formerly active drug users and formerly homeless folk. Helping efforts to bring their voices to the halls where decisions directly impacting them are made and lifting up their voices as the best decision makers. He has a strong belief in direct action as a means for achieving the long term goals associated with living in a world where the lives of all Black folk regardless of ability, class, gender or education are honored and one where we all have concrete avenues by which to thrive and grow. Charles has strong beliefs and ties within the environmental justice movement, as he believes we must maintain a direct relationship with the land in order to truly achieve any sense of freedom. Charles has worked in all realms of the social justice arena doing everything from; direct service provision, lobbying, development and communications and uses that background to inform his current movement work as well as his overall artistic practice.

CHRISTINA ALEXA LIAKOS

Cal (Christina Alexa Liakos) is a queer climate justice community organizer, artist, trainer, and wood chopping badass. Cal is a first generation Greek-American who recently moved back east from the mountains of Alaska to traditional Lenape territories in the Hudson Valley, Ny in order to be closer to family & build up a radical community training space off the land. Cal is a proud theia (aunt) and you will rarely find them without their sidekick and loyal dog companion, Lena.

DEVON FRYER

Devon Fryer has nearly a decade of experience in nonprofit fundraising and outreach for causes ranging in size from local grassroots movements to international campaigns. Both her professional work and personal passions center around human rights and the environment, with a specific focus on where the two intersect. An Oakland native raised by and with strong women and girls, Devon attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she studied engineering and earned her degree in Networks and Digital Technology before going on to pursue her nonprofit career in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. In her spare time, Devon enjoys hands-on creative projects--from making jewelry and cooking meals grown in her garden, to refinishing antique furniture and executing home renovation projects.

HARMONY LAMBERT

Harmony Lambert (Chumash Nation) is originally from Shasta in occupied Winnemem Wintu territory of Northern California, and now lives on occupied Chochenyo Ohlone land in Oakland, CA where she works as action team staff for Greenpeace USA. Environmentalism has been part and parcel of Harmony's life growing up, and her mother brought her into the world of activism while she was still young as a duty and responsibility to those who came before her and those who will come after her. Harmony's activism focuses on indigenous rights and sovereignty and their intersection with the environmental movement. She is part of the Indigenous Peoples Power Project (IP3) where she sits on the Advisory Council, and is also a network member of The Ruckus Society. Harmony is a non-violent direct action and climb trainer, and is dedicated to spreading these skills widely to Indian Country, the environmental movement, and folks committed to social justice. Also a commercial pilot, Harmony flies hot air balloons and thermal airships, including Greenpeace's One World Balloon and the A.E. Bates Airship. In her free time, Harmony enjoys getting out in nature to remind herself that she is intrinsically part of it, dabbling in art, baking, rebuilding/renovating a vintage 1962 13' Traveleze camper, and calling out white cis heteronormativity and toxic masculinity on a daily basis.

LINDSEY ALLEN

Lindsey Allen is a lifelong hellraiser, environmental and human rights campaigner, San Francisco Giants fan, salty sailer, and Executive Director of Rainforest Action Network. She has more than a decade of experience pressuring and inspiring some of the world’s largest corporations to protect rainforests, human rights and the climate. A veteran environmental and social justice organizer, Lindsey has spent her career preventing commodity expansion into globally critical forest areas, and has played a central role in achieving some of the most significant corporate policy commitments to protect forests over the past decade. Lindsey supports the Frailty Myths team with sailing trainings and volunteers on the Special Events Committee.

LONA SHARMA-LAUGHHUNN

Lona was born in Assam, India and came to the United States at age 4. She has overcome significant adversity and is now a champion for woman who are victims of domestic violence. Lona leads an IT optimization team of 12 at the University of California San Francisco. Through her work she has become an expert in time and task management. Lona seeks to help other women take control of their lives and achieve the goals they have set through positivity and use of project management tools. Lona's greatest passion is art. She enjoys painting meaningful pieces and writing about them. She likes combining her zeal for painting and her enthusiasm for hiking by showcasing her art in nature. You can see her work at www.lonalaughhunnart.com. Her Instagram handle is @Lonalaughhunnart.

IRA ARMSTRONG

Ira is a queer revolutionary activist who uses social permaculture principles to address local problems in community with neighbors, locally and globally. Ira is committed to the belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every being on the planet. They use direct action tactics and work within, outside, and through current systems in order to provide relief on the way to liberation. They are committed to the Frailty Myths philosophy and pedagogy, especially as it pertains to intersectional feminism and personal and societal r/evolution through skills and capacity building. They love creating Direct Action Infrastructure, Strategy and Capacity building. Self care is the revolution and the revolution is self care. Fierce love is the only law. Co-Founder, Out Loud, LLC

NANCY HERNANDEZ

Nancy is the daughter of a carpenter and has more power tools than anyone she's ever dated. When she is not working or painting she likes to fix vintage road bikes and ride them or climb big things and rappel off them. Nancy, spent 20 years of her life incorporating public arts into Bay Area movements for social justice. She is a member of the Trust Your Struggle Artist Collective, a group of artivists who use visuals as tools for storytelling and creative documentation of working class fights for social and environmental justice. She teaches art at June Jordan High School for Social Equity and has worked Precita Eyes and Estria Foundation for urban public arts. She coordinated an international mural series dedicated to local water conditions called #Water Writes that mobilized graffiti artists and street muralists to utilize their art forms to address current environmental and social issues. Nancy is an avid bike rider and co-founded a bike co-op called "Bicis Del Pueblo" that refurbishes and distributes bicycles to families of color. They host bike mechanic workshops with the concept of "Each One Teach One" that have trained hundreds in how to repair and ride bikes. She runs outdoor education summer camps for youth in the Mission District and San Francisco aged 6-18 that teach gardening, camping, biking, soccer, and arts. She is a trainer with the Indigenous People's Power project, where she teaches non-violent civil disobedience and tactics of creative protest.

SAGNICTHE SALAZAR

Sagnicthe Salazar is a first generation undocumented migrant Xicana from East Oakland by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco. He is a grassroot organizer and educator who has dedicated the last 18 years of his life to organizing for cultural, educational, work and human rights of Raza communities and communities through out. He organizes with Xicana Moratorium Coalition developing Xicana change agents and building with different communities through various coalition work. He was the Dean of Restorative Discipline and School Culture at Castlemont High School and now the Director of Restorative Discipline at Elmhurts Community Prep in East Oakland.

VICTORIA PHILLIPS (MS. V)

Victoria Phillips (Ms. V) is a brain surgery survivor, social justice activist, local and national community organizer, mental health professional, and facilitator with 20 years of direct experience in the fields of medical, mental health and criminal justice. She serves on the Adolescent Advisory Board for the NYC Department of Corrections and is an active member of the Jails Action Coalition (JAC). Her propensity for advocacy, nation- building, and wellness, began in the late 1990’s when her dying foster mother challenged her to elevate social responsibility within the community. Through volunteer initiatives and social issues from dating violence to police brutality, Ms. V tackled the connection between home life, education and community. Currently she is the Community, Health, and Justice Organizer, for the Mental Health Project (MHP) at the Urban Justice Center, with advocating responsibilities for the current or formerly incarcerated and those with a mental health diagnoses. She has led civil rights actions across the nation. From standing at home in NYC with former political prisoners such as Seuko Odinga, to organizing groups and direct actions with Dr. Cornell West in Ferguson and beyond. She has assisted to raise funding for families and communities impacted from natural disasters, police brutality, broken windows policing, homelessness or just lacking in resources.

YOLANDA BURRELL

Yolanda Burrell is the owner and founder of Pollinate Farm & Garden, a food-focused retail nursery, farm supply and educational center in Oakland's Fruitvale District. Pollinate is celebrating six years in business this Spring! At home in her Oakland permaculture based urban farm and laboratory, Yolanda and her family of farmers, cooks and bakers grow and preserve most of their own produce and raise chickens and bees. An avid do-it-herselfer, she enjoys creating handmade environments from found and reclaimed resources. In her work at Pollinate Farm & Garden Yolanda creates opportunities to advance the culture of urban farming by exploring diversity through food.