TEAM
Trevor Smith
Co-Founder, Executive Director, Collective Member
Trevor Smith (he/him) is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the BLIS Collective. He is a writer, researcher, and strategist focused on racial inequality, wealth inequality, reparations, and narrative change. Previously, he was the Director of Narrative Change at Liberation Ventures, a field-builder accelerating the Black-led movement for reparations, where he launched the Reparations Narrative Lab, a creative and research space designed to build narrative power across the movement for reparations. He previously held program and communications positions at the Surdna Foundation, New York Civil Liberties Union, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and M+R Strategic Services. He received his BA in Journalism from American University. He currently resides in Lenapehoking, now known as New York City.
Inspirations: bell hooks, Tupac, Bob Marley
What Does Solidarity Mean to You?: “Solidarity is both an art and a practice we must continuously work on. It is radical love and altruism in action. It entails constantly placing ourselves in the perspectives of others and forming deep connections to push back against forces of domination, ultimately bringing forth that beautiful and just world that awaits us.”
Savannah Romero
Co-Founder, Deputy Director, Collective Member
Savannah Romero (she/her) is the Co-Founder and Advisory Board Chair of the BLIS Collective. She is an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and serves as the Director of Communications at Tahoma Peak Solutions, a Native Woman-owned firm that tells stories and solves through an Indigenous lens. Previously, she was the Manager of Movement Building and Organizing at IllumiNative, a racial and social justice organization whose mission is to build power for Native people by amplifying contemporary Native voices, stories, and issues. She has previously held program and policy positions at the National Indian Education Association, Cause Strategy Partners, and in the U.S. House of Representatives. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington, a Master’s in Public Affairs and Policy from New York University, and a Master’s in Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts. She is also a storyteller, writer, poet, and film producer. Her creative work explores the confluences of colonialism, capitalism, land-body relations, and memory. She is an editor for Chapter House Journal, an online literary journal operated by the Institute of American Indian Arts MFA students. Her work has been featured in Abalone Mountain Press and Outside Magazine, and she was recently accepted to the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop.
Inspirations: Fred Hampton, John Trudell
What Does Solidarity Mean to You?: “Solidarity means correctly identifying our adversary and joining together to overcome it.”
Antonia Belindo
Operations and Project Manager, Collective Member
Antonia Belindo (She/Her) is the Operations and Project Manager of the BLIS Collective. She is a citizen of the Kiowa Tribe and has lineage with the Skidi Band of the Pawnee Nation, the Choctaw Nation, and the Bitter Water Clan of the Navajo Nation. Previously, she was the Alumni Engagement Manager at Native Forward Scholars Fund, the largest scholarship provider to Native students that has empowered over 22,000 students from over 500 Tribes in all 50 states by providing scholarship dollars and support for services for undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. She previously held program and specialist positions advocating for the critical representation, holistic well-being, and social justice of communities at The University of Oklahoma, Cherokee Nation, and Choctaw Nation. She has served on advisory boards focused on urban access to behavioral health, Tribal Nation building through computer science programs, and currently serves in the Kiowa Tribe’s language revitalization efforts as a linguist. She earned her undergraduate degree from The University of Oklahoma in Fine Arts. As an artist, and writer, Antonia has committed her creative expressions to disrupt colonial normativity and amplify the reality of generational healing.
Inspirations: Ada Deer, Dr. Henrietta Mann, and Selena
What Does Solidarity Mean to You?: “Solidarity is taking the defiant steps towards a reality where love and justice reside for your fellow person.”
Camilla Griffiths
Director of Applied Narrative Research, Collective Member
Camilla Griffiths (She/Her) is the Director of Applied Narrative Research of the BLIS Collective. She is a Rwandan-American behavioral science researcher and writer. Previously, she was a research scientist at Stanford SPARQ, a behavioral science ‘do-tank’ that partners with industry leaders to combat bias, reduce disparities, and drive culture change. Her expertise is in the psychology of racial bias and social inequality in American institutions. She has studied the racialized experiences of Students and Teachers of Color in schools and the impact of media racial representation on viewer racial attitudes, among other topics. Her work has been published and featured in top scientific outlets, including Scientific American and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. She earned a bachelor's in Political & Social Thought at the University of Virginia and a PhD in Social Psychology from Stanford University.
Inspirations: Nelson Mandela, Kurt Lewin, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
What Does Solidarity Mean to You?: “Solidarity means collectively working towards a common goal, drawing strength and persistence from community.””
Amarie Baker
Narrative Illustrator & Creative Strategist
Amarie Baker (she/her) is an artist, graphic designer, and creative strategist whose work interlaces hope, community storytelling, and surrealism. By blending the mundane with the unimaginable, she explores the tension between everyday life and our wildest dreams. Amarie is passionate about harnessing creativity as a catalyst for connection, equity, and meaningful action that drives change within communities.
Her collaborations include projects with Performing Statistics, Shaun Leonardo and The Movement for Black Lives. She was also commissioned by PolicyLink, where she infused inspiration into handmade collages and an afrofuturist animation for their Housing Futures campaign.
Nature walks, time with friends and family, humor, archival footage, the public library, re-reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X, navigating without GPS and the timeless sounds of Radio Nova are also influential to her work.
Inspirations: Thích Nhất Hạnh, Sun Ra and The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis
What Does Solidarity Mean to You?: “Solidarity means fostering unity across struggles and recognizing that our fights are deeply interconnected. Art often serves as a powerful tool for centering counter narratives, reclaiming power, and building collective strategies for liberation. True solidarity is rooted in the belief that systemic change requires shared struggle and unwavering unity among all oppressed peoples.”