Sade Elhawary

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sade Elhawary attended local K-12 public schools and has been involved in politics and activism from the time she was elected Student Body President in elementary school. The eldest daughter of Black and Brown immigrants who moved to the United States for a brighter future, Sade has devoted herself to building Black/Brown solidarity and tackling issues of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ equity and access to transform underserved communities. After receiving her bachelor’s from UCLA and master’s from Harvard Graduate School of Education, she joined the founding faculty team that launched and shaped the curriculum—and the very first graduating class of students—of the Nelson Mandela School
for Social Justice. She has served as a youth mentor, college counselor, and credentialed high school history teacher in communities where investment in education and our classrooms is a top priority. Sade is immensely proud of her organizing career at Community Coalition (CoCo), where, since 2011, she has recruited, trained, and developed the next generation of leaders and organizers for the social justice movement. As the Youth Engagement Campaign Manager on Karen Bass’s successful campaign to become L.A.’s first female mayor, Sade worked to increase the campaign’s energy and visibility, inspire civic engagement, and dramatically improve voter turnout. Sade is the foster mother of a young woman who recently aged-out of the foster care system. Together, they have lived the experience that so many local families share.