Daeja Baker

Daeja Baker is a tireless advocate, activist, and proud native of the Allegheny Valley. Raised in Pittsburgh’s Charles Street Valley, Daeja grew up in a tight-knit community focused on mutual support and treating neighbors like family. Surrounded by intergenerational homes, family-run businesses, and neighbors who gave quarters to children seeking candy from the corner store, Daeja learned the importance of community early. Buoyed by community leaders who ensured that she had opportunities to have experiences outside of her immediate environment, Daeja attended Pittsburgh’s Creative and Performing Arts Academy, and went on to earn a BFA and MFA in Creative Writing from Chatham University. However, these experiences were juxtaposed with those of other people in her community.

As time progressed, Daeja noticed that her community was changing. People who never previously struggled with paying their rent, buying groceries, or getting to work suddenly became statistics in Pittsburgh’s housing insecurity, food access, and transportation crises. Classmates and neighbors became caught up in the ever-growing drug and gun violence epidemic. The community that instilled in her values of interdependence, mutual aid, and support for the most vulnerable was falling apart. She felt she had to do something to help support the multitude of people losing their ability to stay afloat.