Zyahna Bryant
Zyahna Bryant is a student activist and community organizer studying at the University of Virginia, and creating strategies to mobilize Black lives in Charlottesville, VA.
In January of 2019, Zyahna published a book, a collection of poetry and essays titled, “Reclaim”. She currently serves as the youngest member of the inaugural Virginia African American Advisory Board where she was appointed by Governor Ralph Northam.
She also serves as a member of President Jim Ryan’s Council on UVA- Community Partnerships. Zyahna was named as one of Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 Young People Changing the World.
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Youth Power, Youth Voice: Empowering Young People to Move to Action
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You Can’t Pour From an Empty Cup; Building a Movement that Lasts
See Zyahna Bryant in action.
Zyahna Bryant is a student activist and community organizer
Zyahna Bryant – is an Echols scholar at the University of Virginia, studying political and social thought.. She is a young changemaker and award-winning activist/organizer, content creator, and social impact strategist. Zyahna is also the architect of Black Women Built This, a strategy and storytelling brand. In the Spring of 2016, Zyahna wrote a petition calling for the removal of Confederate statues from Charlottesville’s parks, and they were removed in July 2021.
In 2019, Zyahna was appointed as the youngest member of Virginia’s African American Advisory Board, where she serves as the co-chair of the education subcommittee. Governor Northam on issues that impact African Americans across the commonwealth. In 2020, she joined Facebook’s We The Culture Creator Program, where she uses her platform to create and produce content focused on civic engagement and social justice issues. She also serves as a member of the Shawn Mendes Foundation’s Youth Advisory Board. She was named as a 2020 Root Young Futurist, a member of the 2020 BET 100, and Teen Vogue’s 21 under 21 class of 2019.
Zyahna has been featured in The New York Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker Magazine, Forbes; and featured on Vice News, PBS, CNN, and BET. In 2018, she was awarded the Princeton Prize in Race Relations and the Bassett Award for Community Engagement from Yale University. Zyahna has served as a Student School Board Representative for the Charlottesville City Schools division and is a passionate advocate for educational equity.
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Future 40: Zyahna Bryant Wants Social Justice For AllThe University of Virginia student has vowed to dedicate herself to activism and community organizing. She started the petition to remove Robert E. Lee's statue from Charlottesville.
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Three years ago, white supremacists arrived in Charlottesville. My city deserves more than being a talking point in the debate.After watching the first presidential debate Tuesday night and then watching hours of subsequent post-debate analysis on different cable networks, I found myself reflecting on the erasure of Black organizing…
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Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee Monument Is Coming Down, Thanks to Me and Black Women Like MeIn this op-ed, activist Zyahna Bryant reacts to news that a statue of Robert E. Lee will be removed in Charlottesville, Virginia, a demand she first made by petition in…
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The girl who brought down a statueThe day the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was lifted from its pedestal in Charlottesville and driven away, Zyahna Bryant stood nearby, wearing pearls.
