Khali Maddox Abdegeo
For Khali Maddox, social justice has always been a part of his life. In his youth, he fought for civil rights with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and in the nineties, he founded a Black business newspaper, which he used as a tool for social justice. Khali has advocated for issues around healthcare, career pathways for people of color, as well as the criminal legal system.
What do you envision for Springfield?
Khali wants his community to know their history and their own power. “We need to remind ourselves that we can build, we can create, we can take our dreams and put them in a creative format and make them real. There’s been a failure in our education system. Young people don’t know about the historical figures that created, invented, and paved the way.”
What advice would you give to others who want to start getting involved?
Khali suggests people do internet research and reach out to their local mosque, church, and community organizations to learn about opportunities to get involved. “If you don’t ask questions, it’s hard to get any information.”
What issues concern you the most?
Khali says healthy relationships are essential, both in your family and the broader community. “It’s very important that we address our value systems. We need to be more responsive and responsible for cooperating, guiding, and following our partners, our sons, our daughters. I strongly believe in the African concept of it taking a village.”
How do you stay involved in advocating even when life is already full of challenges?
“If you don't have that drive in you to live and not just survive, no one can do that for you…that's what I tell younger men who come to me today and say, ‘what do I need to do?’ I said ‘hey, you need to open your eyes and your ears. You need to question. You need to read. You need to get involved despite it all.’ If you don’t want to be part of the problem, you need to become part of the solution.”