Adeola Oredola

Adeola’s name (which means “crown of honor” in Yoruba) and her family have always helped her stay rooted in community and embody the power of those who came before her. Roots on her father’s side move through Saki, Nigeria and Bolgatanga, Ghana. And on her mother’s side through Chicago, Il and Starkville, MS. She grew up and currently lives in a culturally dynamic, mostly recent immigrant community on occupied Narragansett land also known as Providence, RI.

Adeola is a space holder and community based educator, supporting social justice circles to build capacity through facilitation, training, coaching, and event curation. She centers systemic wellbeing, collective healing, transformative play, and Black liberation in her work. She does that independently and as an affiliate with the Interaction Institute for Social Change and with One Square World. Adeola has 18 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and consulting, work she’s been fortunate to do mostly alongside brilliant young people and within Black and Brown communities.

Adeola has also had the honor of helping to plan the Free Minds Free People conference since 2011, organizing Undoing Racism workshops in New England since 2016, and being a board member with the Education for Liberation Network since 2019. Some of her favorite people in the world are connected to Youth In Action, Free Minds Free People, Soul Fire Farm, and Urban Bush Women—all communities that are close to her heart. Black geekiness, meditation, sitting by a fire, and deeply loving conversation are some of the things that bring her joy.