About

Parenting for Liberation’s mission is to support Black parents to heal from historical and ongoing trauma and interrupt intergenerational violence to build resilient and joyful Black families in community. 


We envision a thriving Black future—a world where Black folks live free from violence, systemic racism and oppression, can live freely and safely both out in the world and in our own homes, and can parent their children in safe and liberated communities. 

Our Work

P4L uses a three-pronged approach of Healing, Learning, and Connecting to support Black families in their liberated parenting journey. Using a healing-centered approach, P4L creates spaces to promote healing, host gatherings focused on community support and engagement, provides resources to support Black parents to learn liberated parenting strategies, and engages parents as active participants in advancing justice, amplifying them as the powerful and political forces they are as a strategy to build a thriving Black future.

What We Believe

Parenting for Liberation believes in the power of parents to conceive, birth, and nurture liberation for the future. Parenting for Liberation is rooted in an Afro-futuristic vision of a world where black parents are in community with each other to raise black children without fear and instead parent for liberation. 

*We define parent broadly: from activist parents,  stay-at-home parents, working parents, single-parents, queer parents, co-parenting parents, young parents, grandparents, step parents, second-parents, like-a-parent, kinfolk-parents, spiritual parents, everyday parents who all have something to share about parenting for liberation.

Meet the Team

  • Trina Greene (she/her)

    Founder & Executive Director

    Recognized as an Inspirational Parent in 2018 by CADRE and as a Black Feminist Rising in 2017 by Black Women’s Blueprint, Trina Greene is a leader on the rise and she’s taking Black parents and children along with her to higher heights. As a proud Black-feminist Mama-activist, she founded Parenting for Liberation to support Black parents heal from & interrupt intergenerational violence to build resilient and joyful Black families in community. Trina lectures and writes on topics of African American families at Cal State Fullerton; her writing has been featured in “On Parenting” for the Washington Post, Essence magazine, LA Parent Magazine, and anthologies. Her book “Parenting for Liberation: A Guide for Raising Black Children” debuted on Juneteenth 2020 by Feminist Press.

  • Lorena Estrella (she/her)

    Communications

    Lorena is a first generation Dominican Jersey girl. She is deeply committed to equity and liberation work, and to centering and elevating the voices of young people of color in educational and movement spaces. In 2020, Lorena earned an MFA degree in Design for Social Innovation at the School of Visual Arts. She is passionate about the arts as a means for social change and is always learning and seeking ways to make art and build community. Lorena loves breakfast any time of day, fresh flowers, plants of all sizes, traveling, making zines and scribbling poems.

  • Lesley Hairston (she/her)

    Director of Financial Operations

    Like my mother, I delight in being a helper. I love to hear a new idea and throw my support and skillset behind it and the people who dreamed it up. My consulting work is my primary method for contributing to people and organizations doing exciting work.

    My background is in accounting, but throughout my career I’ve managed a variety of operational and administrative responsibilities for the organizations I’ve worked with. I have experience with nonprofits, businesses, and creators. Now, I most want to support passionate people doing powerful work.

  • PARADYSE OAKLEY (SHE/HER/THEY)

    Program Manager

    paradyse oakley (she/her/they) Tongva Land -South Central Los Angeles,
    California. paradyse is a recent graduate of the University of California Santa Cruz, majoring in Community Studies, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies and Politics. paradyse identifies as an abolitionist, Black Feminist, Intersectional Environmentalist, and cultural worker. 

  • BRITTANY BRATHWAITE (HER/SHE)

    Innovator Lab Designer & Facilitator

    Brittany Brathwaite is a reproductive justice activist, youth worker and community accountable scholar with a deep-seated commitment for supporting the leadership, organizing, and healing of girls of color. 

    Currently, Brittany is the co-Founder and Creative Director of KIMBRITIVE, a “traphiscated” black girl start-up unapologetically working to educate and empower communities about sexual health, reproductive justice and everything in between. Brittany holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women’s and Gender Studies and Sociology from Syracuse University, and a Double Masters in Public Health and Social Work from Columbia University. Brittany is a forever Brooklynite, dedicated to celebrating and protecting #blackgirlmagic.

Year in Review

Check out our annual reports and evaluations to get a glimpse of how we are growing and supporting Black parents. Each year we share with our amazing community about an inspiring year of growth, learning and innovation. Join us next year for our conversations, celebrations and amazing programming opportunities!