“Activism is in my blood. My father, Roney C. Riley, taught me at a young age to fight for civil rights, justice & peace.

My first march and rally was around twelve years old. My daddy was the AFSCME Union President and we were speaking out against unfair labor practices at a downtown hotel. The majority of the hotel’s staff were Black and Hispanic. I remember a woman speaking in Spanish telling us how she was made to crawl inside of a huge washing machine to attempt to fix it. She was housekeeping, not maintenance. She specialized in securing flat sheets with hospital corners, not securing screws in huge hotel laundry machines. We held the picket line on Michigan Ave. fighting for equitable wages, more paid time off and favorable working conditions for Black and Brown people.

My left hand was held firmly by daddy, my right hand confidently held my sign as my daddy’s voice, steady, yet firmly shouted “Hey hey, ho ho, unfair wages have got to go!” My daddy didn’t work for the hotel, but he WAS standing up for those who did. This is what led to me starting Single Mommas for the Movement, and now Empower In Color LLC, to help educate, engage and empower women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ2IA+ communities.”

-R.C.

“My civic engagement has always spanned the holistic well-being of humans of all ages. I care about the whole person from the spiritual, intellectual and physical to a person’s mental health. “I taught Sunday School to youth over 15 years, helping young people learn that no one is out of the reach of God’s love. I currently serve on the Women’s Board of the Chicago Urban League and the Patient Advisory Council for the Rush University System for Health Affirm Center for Gender Affirming Care. I served several years on the Walther Christian Academy Board of Directors. Most know me best for storytelling, which I started as a means of healing after experiencing a sexual assault. I teach storytelling to all ages, having proudly served as the Artistic Director of a BIPOC womxn’s storytelling collective and taught storytelling to youth with After School Matters. Some of the most challenging service was volunteering on the Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline and serving as a Medical Advocate – supporting survivors through the rape kit collection process and accompanying survivors as they provided statements to law enforcement.”
- R.C.

R.C. received their Bachelor of Science degree in Social Policy & Education with a concentration in Psychology from Northwestern University and a Master of Arts degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. R.C.’s work in teaching hospital Psychiatry Departments led to co-authoring research papers published in scientific journals. In addition, R.C. has presented clinical research findings at numerous professional conferences. R.C. currently works full-time in healthcare IT as a Product Manager.