D’Marria Monday

D’Marria Monday uses her voice to inspire others. She is a mother, sister, healer, social entrepreneur, truth seeker, and truth speaker. She is the Founding Director of Block Builderz, a vision given to her during her seven years of incarceration. D’Marria uses her lived experience to create innovative solutions in her community, which can be seen on the Oprah Winfrey Network’s (OWN) documentary series, “Rebuilding Black Wall Street,” episode 3. This episode highlights D’Marria’s efforts to be the change she wants to see.

Systems of oppression have devastated communities of color for hundreds of years. As a survivor of mass incarceration, D’Marria works to dismantle structural barriers through storytelling, advocacy, legislation, and grassroots organizing. People living with felonies face structural barriers that make it difficult to achieve basic life necessities such as housing, employment, education, and the right to vote.

D’Marria has an intimate understanding of the disparities her community faces, and she uses her expertise to address complex problems caused by systemic racism. She reimagines what transformation can look like by centering the voices of those directly impacted to lead transformative change.