Ms. Antonia Edwards, certified Paralegal, chief executive of the grassroots organization SoliDarity Community Engagement Group. She is also a board member of United Sons and Daughters of Freedmen; also, frequently collaborates with Prof. William A. “Sandy” Darity Jr., PhD, of Duke University; Prof. Thomas Craemer, UConn, Senator Saud Anwar of Connecticut, Dr. Mya Bowen Roxbury community College, Dennis G. Wilson Mentor/ Uncle, Otis Steele Roxbury Action Mentor, Rev. Kevin Peterson New Democracy Coalition, Concerned Black American Citizens; the National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants; Desegregate CT; Health Equity Solutions; Advocacy Unlimited; and State Rep. Brandi Flucker Oakley of Massachusetts to advocate and legislate for the dismantling of inequities, inequalities, and systemic racism affecting American Freedmen – descendants of chattel enslaved in the U.S. — in the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts. For the past 5 years, SoliDarity has been involved in intensive community educational engagement on American Freedmen lineage-based acts of atonements on the municipal and state level and reparations from the federal government.

Since 2017, Ms. Edwards has served as a CT Civic Ambassador and Parent Chair on the DCF Citizens Review Panel the Regional Advisory Council as a Family/Community Advisor. She also participates in the Hope Program through Favor-CT, Disability Rights CT, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the Connecticut Parent Advisory Center. Ms. Edwards serves on the CT Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity. She is a 2019 graduate of the Connecticut-based Partners in Policymaking Legislative Leadership program as well as the Community Resources Housing and Community Development Leadership Institute.

In addition to her ongoing commitment to the above organizations, a major focus of Ms. Edwards’ civic work is to educate and assist communities on housing stock options and Affordable Dwelling Units. Since 1999, Ms.

Edwards has served as a professionally trained parent advocate in the areas of early intervention, special education, mental illness, and substance abuse. Her primary focus is children and young adults with disabilities. Much of her educational work has been done as a trained parent advocate where she spent many years advocating for people with disabilities, while focusing on cultural incompetency, removal of racially implicit and explicit biases, equity, and diversity in healthcare. Ms. Edwards’ advocacy for special education, juvenile justice, and assistance with grant applications have made tangible differences for numerous organizations and the individuals they serve. Ms. Edwards’ ability to effectively network has led to the provision of resources, support groups, medical benefits, education opportunities, trust fund accounts, guardianship/conservatorship grants, and the dismantling of sub-minimum wages for young adults transitioning from high school to college or work in the American Freedmen communities. Ms. Edwards’ both maternal and paternal parents are longstanding residence of the City of Boston. Both sides of her families hail from Barnwell and Anderson South Carolina, fleeing racial terror of the South to Boston in the late 1940’s. It is her honor and passion to present these historical records within the lineage boundaries on behalf her Ancestors, the American Freedmen.