About:

Ponsella Hardaway is a native Detroiter. Since 1996 she has been an organizer with MOSES; She is also a national trainer with the Gamaliel Foundation. In addition to leaders across Detroit, the state of Michigan, and the country, she has trained congregation members in South Africa, Swaziland, and in the United Kingdom. Ms. Hardaway has also traveled to Brazil and Mali to study NGO’s work on political and social issues.

In her first year organizing, Ms. Hardaway organized 22 Detroit congregations to conduct neighborhood listening campaigns and do safe zone actions (small public meetings of 200-600 people) to address abandoned buildings, drug houses, recreation, dumping, street lighting, and gangs. She is most proud of organizing a meeting with MOSES leadership and then President Bill Clinton, who agreed to work with the organization by opening doors in Washington D.C. needed to leverage the resources to obtain their vision for improved youth programs.

In 2008 Ms. Hardaway organized a meeting to address hospital closures, access to grocery stores, immigration reform, and access to public transportation. She was successful in turning to 3,000 people and public officials, even th0ugh President Obama’s rally was an hour before and five miles down the road.

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