Name: DeOnyae

Bio: DeOnyae-Dior Valentina is a nationally recognized advocate, scholar, artist, and transformative leader fighting for the liberation of Black and brown communities, trans and queer youth, system-impacted people, and those living with or vulnerable to HIV. A proud multiethnic trans woman of Black, White, Burmese, and Puerto Rican descent, she’s a child welfare system survivor who has turned her lived experience with homelessness, institutional neglect, and discrimination into a catalyst for justice and healing. Her leadership spans local and national stages—from her work as a Lived Experience Advisor with the Center for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities to consulting roles with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Center for States, and Foster Success. She’s served as Transgender Health Research Manager at Trans Solutions, led youth policy forums across Indiana, and currently sits on the Board of the International Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed, where she unites art, education, and activism. DeOnyae-Dior is a 2025 National Urban Leaders Fellow, a 2025–2026 PWN-USA Policy Fellow, and an alum of NMAC’s Next Gen Emerging Leaders Fellowship. She serves as the Legislative Debrief Writer for the 50501 - Indiana Chapter, making critical policy information accessible to her community. Her leadership has been honored with the Emerging Leader Award from the National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition, the PUSH Torch Award from the National Trans Visibility March, and recognition as a Youth Policy Advocate by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. As a scholar, her academic work centers care-driven policy change and abolitionist frameworks. As an artist, she performs as Dior Da Don Dolly, blending lyrical activism with divine femininity and survival storytelling in her debut album Don Energy, Doll Mentality. Whether organizing, writing, or rapping, DeOnyae-Dior is building a future where Black, Brown, and trans people thrive—loudly, boldly, and without apology.

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