Ciara Taylor is an educator, grassroots organizer, artist and Membership Manager with The People’s Forum, which describes itself as: “a movement incubator for working class and marginalized communities to build unity across historic lines of division at home and abroad. They are an accessible educational and cultural space that nurtures the next generation of visionaries and organizers who believe that through collective action a new world is possible.” Ciara is committed to nurturing a community rooted in working class values of justice, love, and dignity for everyone through art and political education. She loves designing and facilitating innovative learning experiences that shift both beliefs and behaviors.  She first became politically active in high school in opposition to the Iraq War and has continued organizing around issues pertaining to militarism, mass incarceration, poverty, and the protection of the most vulnerable in our society. Previously she worked with the Southern Poverty Law as the Community Outreach Liaison for Juvenile Justice and as the state Voter Registration Coordinator for the League of Women Voters. In 2012, Ciara co-founded the Dream Defenders, a Florida-based youth organization that emerged after the killing of 17-year old Trayvon Martin. Dream Defenders is a human rights organization directed by Black & Brown youth who confront inequality and criminalization of youth in Florida. Ciara also currently works as a campaign coordinator for the ACLU. She has been featured on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton speaking about the fight to overturn the Stand Your Ground law in Florida.