Officers

Meet Alyce Pipkin-Allen

BAWR Founder and Co-President

In 2021, Alyce Pipkin-Allen and a group of professional, progressive, and visionary women launched BAWR with a mission to build a multigenerational coalition of Black Women of the African diaspora to amplify our voices and give priority to our issues and communities.

Alyce has more than 20 years of workforce management experience in public service and another 30 years of community advocacy and activism in nonprofit and political organizations.

Prior to founding BAWR, Alyce was elected as a 79th CA Assembly District Delegate and served in that capacity for two terms. In 2019 she was elected as an ADEM and an Executive Board Member of the County Democratic Party, and she received the Chair’s Award from the SD Democratic Party.

Alyce is a Servant Leader and an active community member in San Diego. She currently serves as Vice President of the San Diego Chapter of the Black American Political Association of Ca (a 501c3 organization), Co-Founder/Board Member of the Black Woman’s Institute of Leadership Development, Board Member of 1619 National Celebration of Black Women and Co-Founder of Women Give San Diego’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

BAWR was honored to receive a Certificate of Recognition from California State Senate President Pro Tempore the Honorable Toni Atkins in November 2021. Alyce can be reached at 619-302-4987 or alyce10@yahoo.com

Meet Angela de Joseph

Co-President Black and African Women Rise – Chartered San Diego County, Democratic Club; Vice President San Diego Association of Black JournalistsCultural Competency in Media ConsultantWomen of Color Roar Founder/Producer

Angela is the founder of the nonprofit, Women of Color Roar Media, and produces the annual Women of Color Roar Breakfast with a mission to support, nurture, and encourage Black women to run for political office and seek careers in public service. A life-long journalist, Angela is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker who began her career as an editor at Essence Magazine in New York. She hosts a weekly political talk radio show Saturdays at 10 am on KNSJ 89.1 in San Diego. She is a Higher Heights Senior Civic Leadership Fellow and graduate and former Board Program Chair of the Black Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (BWILD). Angela is also Program Manager for GRID Alternatives, the nation’s largest nonprofit solar installer and training program that places community members in clean energy jobs. Angela recently launched her own podcast and Clubhouse room, “Black Women are Speaking” a look at current events through the lens of women of the African Diaspora.

Honors: City of San Diego – Angela de Joseph/Women of Color Roar Day June 19, 2021. NAACP Theater Awards – Best Play and Best Playwright. PBS Television – Prized Pieces Award, Best Documentary. Moxie Award – 2020. Emmy Nomination – “Making Lives Over” Author: Angela de Joseph’s Body Blast Founder: African Wonders Hair Products http://www.womenofcolorroar.com

Meet Samantha Jenkins

Co-Vice President

Samantha Jenkins is an honorably served US Naval Veteran and first generation Guyanese American. She is currently the Vice Chair of the Citizens Advisory Board on Police and Community Relations (representing San Diego City Council District 4) and the Chair of the Skyline Paradise Hills Planning Group. She is also a Board Member with the Black Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (BWILD), the DEI Co-Chair of Women Give San Diego, and a former member of the San Diego NAACP Executive Committee.

Samantha is a civic engagement advocate and a graduate student in University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES). She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Nonprofit Management and Leadership with a certification in Leadership consulting. She volunteers with local social justice and advocacy organizations to speak to groups about the value of civic engagement among communities of concern. In numerous places and spaces, Samantha has built a reputation for asking the questions that others won’t in attempt to illuminate overlooked or understudied issues. She is driven to speak for those members of her community who have not benefited from civic discourse, resource allocation, and public policy. This passion is applied to supporting the black community, black veterans, and black women in particular.

Her public service was recognized in 2019 when Samantha became a Delta Sigma Theta Breakfast for Milady honoree. Samantha’s personal motto is “Shine Down for What”. She lives by this motto in the way that she attempts to shine a light for herself and others while encouraging those around her to do the same.

Meet Ismahan Abdullahi

Co-Vice President

Ismahan is a human rights advocate and community organizer who is relentless in working for justice. Ismahan has a track record of building power alongside community, engaged in political, civil and human rights advocacy. She currently serves as the Executive Director for the Muslim American Society's Public Affairs and Civic Engagement( (MAS-PACE). She has served as a board member in numerous community organizations and institutions. Ismahan was the former Director of Campaign Strategies and Movement at the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans. She currently serves as a Board Director at the San Diego County Water Authority and Somali Family Services. She continues to be engaged in and work on issues that address racial disparities, immigrant and refugee rights, equity and political inclusion for disenfranchised communities. Ismahan has a passion for uplifting and creating space for youth to lead as grassroots leaders.