Amber Hikes facts for kids
Amber Jelena (AJ) Hikes (they/them) is an American civil rights activist and community organizer. They currently work as the chief equity and inclusion officer for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Before joining the ACLU, Hikes was well-known for leading the Office of LGBT Affairs in Philadelphia. There, they started the "More Pride More Color" campaign. This campaign created a special version of the Rainbow Flag with black and brown stripes. These stripes were added to represent people of color within the LGBTQ+ community. Hikes identifies as a Black queer nonbinary woman. They believe in an intersectional approach, which means they look at how different parts of a person's identity, like race, gender, and economic background, connect and affect their experiences.
Early Life and Education
Amber Hikes was born in Okinawa, Japan. Their father was in the U.S. military. As a child, Hikes lived in many different places, including Japan, Hawaii, Georgia, Louisiana, and Delaware. This was because their mother, Dr. Zenobia Lawrence Hikes, had a career in student affairs at universities.
Hikes is very musical and can play five instruments. They were even part of their high school marching band. In 2000, they played in the band for the Sydney Olympic Games opening ceremony. Hikes earned their first college degree in English from the University of Delaware in 2006. Later, they moved to Philadelphia and earned a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008.
Making a Difference
Hikes started their career helping people get access to education. For five years, they worked with the Upward Bound program at the University of Pennsylvania. This program helps students from low-income families prepare for college. In 2015, Hikes moved to California to lead the Upward Bound program at California State University, Long Beach.
In March 2017, Hikes was chosen to lead Philadelphia's Office of LGBT Affairs. There had been some issues in the city's LGBTQ+ community, especially regarding racism. Hikes wanted to focus on helping those who felt left out. A big part of their work was introducing a new pride flag. This flag added brown and black stripes to the traditional rainbow flag. These new stripes were meant to show support for people of color in the LGBTQ+ movement.
The new flag was officially flown over Philadelphia City Hall during LGBT Pride Month in June 2017. This got a lot of attention from the public and the media, both positive and negative. The flag soon became a popular symbol for LGBTQ+ people of color. Famous people, like actress Lena Waithe, wore it, and it was even flown at UK Black Pride in London.
Hikes also started other important projects. One was the LGBTQ Community Leadership Pipeline. This program trains people from the community to become leaders in local LGBTQ+ organizations. Their office also began the LGBT State of the Union event in 2018. At this yearly event, the mayor and city officials talk about important issues for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2019, the city adopted new rules for how police should interact with transgender and non-binary people. These rules ensure that a person's chosen name and pronouns are respected. They also make sure people are treated appropriately based on their gender identity, for example, during personal searches.
While working for the city, Hikes received several honors. They were named "Person of the Year" by the Philadelphia Gay News in 2017. In 2018, they were listed among the "100 Most Influential People" by both Philadelphia and Out magazines.
In July 2019, Hikes joined the ACLU as their first Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer. In this role, they work to make the organization a more fair and welcoming place for everyone. They focus on improving workplace culture and helping people from all backgrounds grow in their careers.
See also
- Ahead of the Curve
