JAYLAH WILLIS BREANNA ELLISON

18, DULUTH 24, DULUTH

What do you do? (job, community involvement)

I’m an organizer with TakeAction Minnesota. I do both community and political organizing both in Duluth and statewide. Outside of organizing, I serve on the Community Development Committee with the city of Duluth, and I play broomball with Twin Ports Broomball.

How do you spend your free time?

I really enjoy hanging out and spending time with other people. I’m an extrovert so I really flourish being able to joke, laugh and build with others. I’ve also gotten into mountain biking in the past few years and really appreciate the trail system we have in Duluth. I like to spend time playing music when I’m feeling creative as well.

Tell us about an influential person in your life.

It’s really hard to pick just one person because my life has been impacted by so many people. My parents have been super influential in who I am and how I express myself and move through the world. My dad taught me to think critically and question everything. My mom taught me to use my voice unapologetically.

In Duluth specifically, I’m inspired by other strong BIPOC community leaders who are getting into the “good trouble,” especially Terresa and Jordon Moses, Daniel and Sandra Oyinloye, and Alicia Kozlowski. They are the people I look to for an example of how to consistently give back to and improve our community.

Where is your favorite place in Duluth/Superior?

This is a tough one! I’d have to say that my favorite place in the Twin Ports is on the shores of Lake Superior at sunrise. There is something so beautiful and centering about starting a day watching the sun rise over the greatest great lake.

What have you learned in your time spent at home during the pandemic?

In terms of literal things learned, I’ve become a better baker. I’ve learned how to overcome the barriers that COVID has created to still be able to connect and build relationships with others across the community, even though digital meetings are inherently more awkward than in-person ones. A bigger takeaway: Value today, even the tedious parts, because you never know if tomorrow will bring a life-changing pandemic.

What do you do? (job, community involvement)

I’m an activist.

How do you spend your free time?

I’m a creative; I like to draw, paint, listen to music and spend time with family.

Where is your favorite place in Duluth/Superior?

Canal Park is my favorite place — probably everyone’s favorite place as well.

What have you learned in your time spent at home during the pandemic?

How important communication is.

What do you do? (job, community involvement)

I am an associate professor and the director of graduate studies in the Department of Social Work at the University of Minnesota Duluth. In my role as a faculty member at UMD, I teach courses in social work at the undergraduate and graduate levels, conduct research and participate in many, many meetings. I know it is cool to say you despise meetings, but I actually like many of them because I like working collaboratively with my colleagues. But don’t tell anyone I said that, or I might get invited to more.

I have taught a number of courses, but my favorites are Social Welfare Policy and field seminars for social work students interning at social service agencies. Policy is such a fantastic challenge to teach, because a lot of students come into it not really being excited about policy or seeing the connection to real world direct practice. But by the end, I think most students find something that really clicks for them because there are so many issues they care about deeply and they see where the gaps are and where we can do better.

Fortunately, there are a lot of great opportunities to engage with policy in our area because we have such a politically engaged community, so there are a lot of ways that students can get out into the community and see policy advocacy in action. Last year, many of my students volunteered on local campaigns or helped to register people to vote. I love to facilitate those types of experiences in my teaching because I think that kind of hands-on learning is something they’ll remember and take with them throughout their lives.

Most of my research focuses broadly on sexual violence and I primarily partner with community organizations to answer questions they identify as experienced practitioners and to evaluate programs and practice. That way, the research is directly useful to the individuals and organizations doing the work every day and can also inform the broader knowledge base.

I am also on the board of directors at Hartley Nature Center. I adore everything about Hartley and it is a pleasure to support the dedicated staff and mission of a place that plays such a vital role in our community in so many ways. My family and I spend a lot of time there and I’m fairly sure my youngest son is responsible for eating most of the raspberries in the park this summer.

My other job is being a mom. I have two kids; they are 8 and 4 and they are the most wonderful and exhausting thing ever.