Californian native Michelle Yemaya believes that PAALF is exactly what our community needs right now: an organization that empowers our community to be transformative leaders, ones who lead by example. Yemaya believes that transformative leaders bring a high level of integrity and accountability, and that they take action to produce change.
Yemaya comes to PAALF with a leadership background in peer support and community advocacy, and is the co-founder and Secretary of the Black Community of Portland, a grassroots non-profit organization.

Through her activism, Goddess also places a strong emphasis on Blackonomics by supporting local Black-owned businesses, being a consumer, and creating pop-up
markets. When Yemaya is given a seat at the table, she brings an extra chair for a brilliant peer, and a level of accountability and unapologetic conduct that is visible from the minute she takes her seat.