Karia is one of the co-founders of Shades of Honey

Originally from New Jersey, now based out of the Boulder and Denver, Colorado area is a student, organizer, and artist. She graduated from the University of Colorado-- Boulder and obtained two Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and Ethnic Studies, as well as a minor in Political Science. Karia currently is a Graduate Student pursuing her Masters in Learning Sciences and Human Development. She is a research assistant at the Laboratory for Ritual Arts and Pedagogy. Karia is also one of the student Co-Founders of the Center for African and African American Studies at the University of Colorado.

Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated

She is a writer, mixed media artist, poet and urban preservationist that explores the juxtaposition of liminal and discernable space of Black bodies and experience through Afropessimism, her interrogation of utopia and habitual torture among other lenses relavant to tbe unique experiences of the oppressed. 

Karia’s other project include:

Denver Freedom Skool | Books for the Block | Interludes Denver | Re-Root

Helen is the Social Media Coordinator for Shades of Honey

Helen is a descendent of Vietnamese immigrants and the manifestation of her ancestor’s prayers. Her spark for art and love for her community and the Land guides everything she does. She hopes to play a small part in leaving this world better than when she first entered. Helen is very humbled and honored to share space with the Shades community and looks forward to building new worlds together rooted in love, collective care and liberation.

She works to craft intentional curation centered on disability justice. She is a beacon of hope and has radically added to the spirit that Shades of Honey embodies.

Miarri is one of our Community Designers.

Miarri Phillips is a sophomore at the University of Colorado at Denver, where she is currently studying both psychology and sociology. She is a highly motivated individual passionate about social justice and has an intense drive to create change in areas that she recognizes. Miarri is actively involved in both her communities, starting with Rochester, New York, to her Denver campus. She is a beacon for change and a natural-born leader taking on any task and amplifying others' voices to see a more significant impact. Miarri was a Teaching Assistant and Cohort Coordinator for a Leadership Program at her previous institution. She has held several executive positions that educate others on the importance of active citizenship and civic engagement.

She is notorious for her creative ideas and served as the Outreach and Engagement Chair for a nonprofit formerly known as Millennials 4 Environmental Justice. Phillips is also a Cities United Fellow alum taking a public health approach to gun violence. Phillips also volunteers on the Public Relations team for Phemoneal Women which empowers young women in the Denver area.

Miarri has had several internships and is always looking to implement her experiences into stepping blocks for future generations after her. Phillips was recognized as the 2021 Women of Color Environmental Leaders Move Mountains Grant Program in partnership with Greening Youth Foundation and The North Face to develop Green Goddess. Green Goddess is a program that creates and facilitates environmental activities for young Black and Brown girls.

Micaela is our Outreach Direstor, specializing in community relationship building.

Hey y’all! My name is Micaela, I was born in a lesser known city called Wichita in the state of Kansas (I know), but Denver is the city I call home. I find a lot of fulfillment in the creation and performance of music, I play 6 instruments and have been involved with the creation of music since I can remember. I love to be around other creatives and people that enjoy art as much as I do. For work, I have the privilege of supporting people experiencing homelessness in the Denver

metro area. This work has molded me into a person that sees people for more than their circumstances and without judgement. I’m hoping I can spread this attitude of radical acceptance with the Shades community :)

I am a sucker for love in all of its forms and I’m so excited to be a part of a space that cultivates just that!!

Hi, my name is Maria. I moved to Denver about a year and a half ago from Cleveland, OH. Currently, I attend Regis University and am getting my masters in Couples and Family Therapy. The plan after graduation is to provide couples/sex therapy for Black queer couples. I enjoy reading, hanging out with friends, and staying home to cuddle with my kittens! I run two book clubs (Well Read Black Girl and Noname) and have plans to start a Queer bookclub coming in the fall. I was introduced to Shades by a close friend back in October of 2021 and have been a supporter ever since. I am incredibly happy to be apart of this organization and I cannot wait to work with all these wonderful people.

morgynne d’sulueti tora is an ultra-dimensional traveler, cultivator of culture + collective faith keeper.

they have a decade of experience in culturally relevant facilitation rooted in practices of indigenous storytelling. morgynne practices veiqia, the tatu practice of the iTaukei people, with the intention of amplifying intergenerational healing, indigenization + expanding the capacity for god in the body. a student of linguistic anthropology at msu denver, they are an artist of archival remembrance, diligently recording the dialogue between our collective selves. morgynne has released three books of poetry ritual, dua, + 13 lotu, stewards a private tatu studio in denver, and is currently weaving a collection of activated clothing.