Onbrand

Daunasia Yancey is a freedom fighter working towards the liberation of all oppressed peoples and the creation of a more just world. As a Black Femme, educator, strategist and organizer, Daunasia exemplifies the best of Boston.

Daunasia has served as a leader in the LGBTQ+ community since she was young, having started the first gay straight alliance in a public middle school in Massachusetts in 2004.

Daunasia responded to the call to action of the movement for Black lives and founded the Boston Black Lives Matter chapter in 2014. She organized mass mobilizations and direct actions and advocated for resources and policies to support Boston’s Black communities.

Daunasia is a recipient of the Audre Lorde Founder’s Award from the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition (2016) and the Fueling the Frontlines Award from the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice (2016).

Daunasia started The Rest Rail, a 501c3 nonprofit, in 2020, out of a commitment to changing the culture of social justice work. The Rest Rail provides cost-free vacation experiences to activists, organizers, educators, and artists while working to imbed rest and wellness in social justice movements.

Daunasia currently serves as Deputy Director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA2S+ Advancement in Boston, which works to empower, protect and advance the rights, and dignity of all LGBTQIA2S+ residents.