OUR MISSION
Initially founded in New York in 1999, VOCAL-NY serves as a model for the work to come with VOCAL-KY. Our campaigns have saved or improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, and now we’re ready to help Kentuckians step into that same power.
VOCAL-KY is building a movement of low-income people dedicated to ending the AIDS epidemic, the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and homelessness across the country. We fight for systemic change rooted in justice, compassion, and love. We approach this work with a firm belief in reducing harm and ending stigma, and the knowledge that the issues impacting our communities are driven by institutional oppression, not personal failings.
Our Model
Our model of movement building draws inspiration from three traditions:
TRADITIONAL COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZING
DIRECT-ACTION AIDS ACTIVISM
BLACK-LED SOCIAL MOVEMENTS FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
Our STAFF
SHAMEKA PARRISH-WRIGHT
Director
Shameka is a long-time community organizer, successful project and campaign manager and social justice activist. She is formerly homeless, formerly incarcerated, and was the child of an incarcerated person. Her family has been impacted by HIV and the war on drugs. She recently ran for Mayor in Louisville, before starting at VOCAL-KY.
Brittany Morris
Harm Reduction Program Lead
Brittany is the Harm Reduction Program Lead at VOCAL-KY and brings both lived experience and deep empathy to her work. She has firsthand experience with substance use and homelessness and has been almost four years sober, getting sober the day she found out she was pregnant with her daughter. This pivotal moment reshaped her life and fuels her passion for harm reduction, meeting people where they are, and creating compassionate, judgment-free spaces rooted in dignity, hope, and real understanding.
Aravia Patterson, MPH
Harm Reduction Drop-In Associate & Care Coordinator
Aravia Patterson provides compassionate, trauma-informed support to individuals navigating housing instability, substance use, and access to essential health and social services. With a passion for maternal health and women’s sexual and reproductive well-being, Aravia brings years of experience in community-based public health, health equity, and reproductive justice. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Public Health Sciences with a specialization in Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Louisville.
Odell Scott Hager
Statewide Event Outreach Canvasser
In my work with VOCAL-KY and Leave A Light On Street Outreach, I serve on the front lines of harm reduction, advocacy, and recovery support for people directly impacted by substance use, homelessness, and the criminal legal system. I provide street-level outreach, distribute lifesaving resources, connect individuals to treatment, housing, and reentry services, and elevate lived experience into policy and community conversations. My role bridges the gap between the streets, the recovery system, and decision-makers, ensuring that those most affected are not only supported but also heard, respected, and represented.
JENNIFER TWYMAN
Organizer
Jennifer comes to VOCAL after providing harm reduction services to some of Louisivlle’s most marginalized and underserved communities for the past 5 years. Her drive and passion are fueled by her own 20 year struggle with chaotic substance use, followed by the last 12 years of using harm reduction in her daily life, as well as supporting her “sister” through 20+ years of incarceration. Jennifer has been laying the groundwork to build VOCAL-KY by organizing and building power with people who use drugs in Louisville.
Dynasty “Dy” Davidson
Lead Community Organizer
Dynasty “Dy” is a community organizer, activist, and healer dedicated to building justice and care in Louisville. After experiencing personal loss and witnessing systemic harm, Dy committed her life to the work; organizing for policy change, creating spaces for healing, and uplifting voices too often ignored. Through both grassroots action and collective care, Dy works to transform collective grief into power, ensuring that communities are not only heard but held.
Stephanie Johnson
Statewide Coordinator
Regardless of her “title” or “position,” Stephanie will ALWAYS help others. Especially when no one else has a mind, eye, care or heart to. Once she sees who doesn’t, shows them the humanity, care & compassion that EVERYONE deserves.
Trevor Davis
Statewide Event Outreach Canvasser
I stumbled backwards into a VOCAL meeting in Lexington at the Recovery Cafe and my life hasn’t been the same since! I got introduced to ways to be involved in helping people, like fighting for policy changes so we can all have access to resources to live our lives with dignity and respect. Thank you for this gift.
Beckie Rose-Bowman
Statewide Event Outreach Canvasser
Beckie Rose-Bowman is a recovery leader and cultural organizer serving as Restorative Radio Coordinator for Appalshop, a nationally recognized arts and media institution in Eastern Kentucky. She manages the Calls from Home radio program, connecting families with incarcerated loved ones, and leads grant initiatives amplifying recovery stories from communities of color and rural Appalachia. Drawing from her own lived experience in long-term recovery, Beckie brings powerful insight, compassion, and authenticity to her work, breaking stigma and building bridges across rural and urban communities.