Aaron BartleyPUSH BUFFALO, FITZ BOOKS // Connect to a community organization in your neighborhood! Find a justice group at school or in the community to connect to! PUSH has a strong youth program on the West Side you could connect with.

Abdekani AdenSAY YES BUFFALO // "If a student wants to go to college, I can help them. As an immigrant, I understand the students' perspectives and questions they may have about how college works in the United States."

Aileen Gonzalez Marti

Aimee White

Aisha AbdullaJERICHO ROAD // By having experienced the same obstacles many refugees are going through, as a nurse practitioner, I engage in supportive, facilitative and enabling acts that are tailor made to fit with the individual cultural values, beliefs, and lifestyle to provide quality healthcare.

Bianca BassettBLACK LOVE RESISTS IN THE RUST // We believe, like our identities, the harms we experience are intersectional. While our goal is abolition, we recognize that policing practices are inherently white supremacist, cis-heteropatriarchal, sexist, capitalistic, homophobic, and based in able-ism. Our work always seeks to challenge these institutions.

Bruce McKay

Cariol Horne-HollomanFORMER BPD OFFICER // My vindication comes at a 15-year cost, but what has been gained could not be measured.

Chelsea EllisHOUGHTON COLLEGE // This lack of compassion, research, and willingness to learn about crime in other countries has detrimental effects on the growth of refugees across this country. I want this injustice to be corrected in a huge way.​

Crystal Peoples Stokes

Denise Gonez Santos

Dhanapati Dahal

Donald Patterson

Elmer Santos

Gliset Colon

Irene RekhviashviliVIVE LA CASA IMMIGRATION LAWYER // I work with asylum seekers, or people running away from their country because of political, religious, or race-based persecution by their own government.

Jeff WilberBEST SELF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH // Educate yourself to the true nature of addiction. Hold back judgement until you do. Language. Learn the language of recovery, not the language that comes from a lack of understanding.

Jennifer Bauer WalkerI work to end violence in all forms...discrimination based on race, culture, religion and other areas of identity, I have also found that sports are a great way to work towards equity.

Jessie Rearden

John StarkeyPRINCIPAL, LAFAYETTE INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL // Give opportunities to people from other countries with your language.

Judith GildoI have five children and when I come to school to help you and work with you, YOU are all my children too. I think of you as all the same.

Juweria DahirE FOR ALL // Over the years I have seen several successful cross-sector collaboration for social change in a way that explicitly lifts up equity and justice for all and creates measurable change; but we still have a lot of work to do!​

Kenneth VargasUPWARD BOUND // I am working diligently to correct the injustice of not properly preparing today's urban youth for success in and out of the classroom!

Lonnel Williams

Lucy CandelarioTHE BELLE CENTER // The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched - They must be felt with the heart.

Maria CruzEVERGREEN HEALTH // At Evergreen, we recognize that mental health is a key part to overall health and wellness. That is why we offer a multitude of counseling services meant to address a variety of mental health needs.

Maruf Hassain

Michael Stevens

Michele AgostoBUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOLS // My passion and ongoing mission is to enhance student achievement by implementing robust arts education programs that enrich and advance the lives of all children, with a focus on children of color in town.

Mona-Abdulla

Msaada NankumbaUNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO MEDICAL SCHOOL // My mentor and my role model in my work toward social justice has been no one other than my experience with injustices and suffering and the motivation that gives me to want to change the circumstance for the better.

Mulook AlastaBPS EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST // When I see a student speaking and explained his/her feelings in English and it’s not their home language, this making me feel so proud that I did something special for them.

Nadir NashirWe need to address the systemic inequities that our students and families face in our schools.

Ohm Mar Tun

Olayinka AdetimehinSupport the mission at Jericho Road. Also whatever you want to be in life, don’t just do it for yourself, do it for you and your community.

Pierre MichelHOUGHTON COLLEGE BUFFALO // I'm a proud black Haitian American who was born into social justice I became engaged in the justice work when I realized that if did not do something about helping others who look like me and represent where I am from, I do not believe that my purpose would be fulfilled.

Rahwa GhirmatzionPUSH BUFFALO // I work to build a regenerative economy, one that is rooted in care and ecological restoration and the cooperative economy.​ ​

Sara Jablonski"If you're white (of European descent) like me, don't hesitate to say the Word "Black" or to talk about race or ask difficult questions about what's going on in our communities".

Saw Meh PuBUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOLS // I grew up in refugee camp and there were many young people who did not have the opportunity to go to school. I see that as an injustice because I believe that all children should have access to a good quality education.

Sheila O’Brien

Sophia Bahati

Taylor Huntsman

Than N Oo

Tracy WerickNYGEAR UP // Ms.Tracy is working to fight the barriers students face in accessing a college education. She work with NYGEAR UP and Buffalo Public School students to support them in their college journeys. The biggest part of her job is helping BPS seniors with their financial aid and college applications.

Win Min ThantAMERICORPS // There is so much work that still needs to be done. Keep pushing and keep fighting for any kind of injustice and any kind of wrong doing. You can start with your neighborhood, your city, and your community.

Yala Mmangyo

Yesilliam RiveriaIt is hard for me to choose one person because I can truly say that all the teachers I work with have, for better or for worse, taught me many skills in the education field.​

Ygeutte RudahindwaI am working to promote equal education to the unreached refugee children and youth. Being passionate about education is very important.

Students from Lafayette International High School investigated the question: who are the people in our families, communities and in the city of Buffalo who work to improve the lives of others? Through a series of interviews, the students learned about all the good work people are doing in #buffalony.

To honor the ‘agents of change’, their portraits are featured as a public artwork. There will also be an opening ceremony event on June 5 at 612 Fillmore Ave where students will share readings as part of the project. We encourage you to check out the public artwork at five points before or after the opening ceremony, if you are planning to attend!

Photo credit: Jon Piret

Agents of Change is a collaboration between Lafayette International High School, Just Buffalo Literary Center, and Torn Space Theater — with generous support from Rich Products.

Please help support this community-based project.

Donations can be made here, or text “GIVE” to the number 716-707-9347