Chivona Newsome
Co-Founder
Black Lives Matter of Greater New York
Chivona Renee Newsome, the Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter Greater NY and Candidate for US Congress (NY15) is a civil rights leader at the forefront of the New Civil Rights Movement and former Financial Advisor at New York Life. She has dedicated her adult life to the betterment of her community & our nation as a whole.
Her parents actually met at a civil rights rally in the 1960’s, so you can say that she was born into this fight. The Bronx native was raised in a devout Christian household. As a youth, Chivona’s father became very ill and she became his advocate, learning early on how to negotiate for health care with insurance companies and the local pharmacy.
She attended pre-K through college in The Bronx. The one year she chose to study out of state at the prestigious Howard University in Washington, DC., her political action was noticed by then Senator Barack Obama’s campaign staff, and she was asked to be a part of the 2008 Presidential Inaugural Committee.
As a financial advisor, Chivona served her community. She worked on the $50 Billion Dollar challenge which created college savings, retirement plans, and generational wealth for over 300 black and brown residents of New York. Since then she has engaged in protests and activities to combat financial injustice.
Over the past few years, Chivona has worked tirelessly leading protests and seeking justice for the families of police brutality, she works with members of LGBT community, victims of human trafficking, the mental health community, women’s reproductive rights organizations, and housing justice advocates. She co-founded Black Lives Caucus, lectured students and expanded Black Lives Matter Greater NY to multiple New York City charter schools. She is also the producer of Black Lives Matter with Chivona on WBAI 99.5