Black Freedom Fund is proud to announce the 2026 cohort of the Chinedu Valentine Okobi Sabbatical Program, an investment in the rest, healing, and long-term sustainability of movement leaders working to strengthen Black communities across California.
Named in honor of Chinedu Valentine Okobi, a beloved father, son, brother, poet, and Morehouse graduate whose life was taken by state violence in 2018, the program honors his legacy by investing in the well-being of movement leaders. Established by Chinedu’s family and administered by Black Freedom Fund, the program reflects a shared belief that caring for those who care for our communities is essential to building lasting movements. The program provides leaders with the time and support to step away from the demands of their work, knowing their organizations have the capacity to continue thriving while they rest.
Each participant’s organization receives $50,000 to sustain its work during the leader’s sabbatical, allowing them to take the recommended minimum of eight weeks to restore, reflect, and return renewed.
Since launching in 2024, the Okobi Sabbatical Program has demonstrated what becomes possible when movement leaders are given the time and support to rest. Participants have returned with renewed energy and a deeper commitment to building organizations that sustain both their missions and the people who carry them forward.
This year, we’re honored to welcome three more extraordinary leaders whose work spans faith, education, healing, and community power. Their leadership reflects the creativity, courage, and care needed to build a future where Black communities can thrive.
Meet the 2026 Chinedu Valentine Okobi Sabbatical Program Participants
Malaika Parker
Black Organizing Project (BOP)
For 25 years, Malaika Parker has helped shape a more just Bay Area, working to address issues of police accountability, education justice, environmental justice, and child welfare reform. She has also founded innovative community initiatives, including the Hummingbirds Urban Farming Collective and the Adoptive Parents of Color Collaborative. Today, as Executive Director of the Black Organizing Project, she continues to organize alongside parents, educators, and working-class families to build lasting Black power in Oakland and beyond.
Throughout her career, Malaika has championed sustainable, human-centered leadership, believing that movements are strongest when leaders have the space to care for themselves as deeply as they care for their communities. This sabbatical will allow her to reconnect with her humanity and creativity, spend uninterrupted time with her family, and return to the work with fresh perspective and a reignited creative spark.
For Malaika, rest is not only essential for well-being, it’s a catalyst for creativity and the future she’s working to build.
“This sabbatical will create spaciousness for me to reconnect with my humanity and my creativity. It will give me time to slow down without the pressure of performing and responding. This sabbatical will provide space for me to reset my nervous system and indulge in deep care for myself. It will provide me with an opportunity to return to work and my life refreshed and energized.”
Pastor Samuel J. Casey
Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (C.O.P.E.)
For more than 30 years, Pastor Samuel J. Casey has led at the intersection of faith and justice. As Founding Pastor of New Life Christian Church in Fontana and Founder and Executive Director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (C.O.P.E.), he has helped build a faith-rooted movement across California’s Inland Empire by developing clergy and community leaders, advancing civic engagement, and organizing for racial justice.
Together with his wife, Pastor Tamika R. Casey, he has mobilized churches to advance school discipline reform, strengthen Black political power, and address education inequities through initiatives like the R.O.O.T. Center. He sees this sabbatical as an opportunity to deepen his spiritual grounding, cultivate healthier rhythms of leadership, and strengthen both his own leadership and the long-term sustainability of C.O.P.E.
For Pastor Casey, this time away is an opportunity to listen more deeply, reconnect with his purpose, and return with greater clarity for the work ahead.
“This sabbatical will allow me to deepen my spiritual grounding, gain fresh perspective, and return with greater clarity to lead the organization into its next season of growth particularly as we expand our infrastructure, develop new leadership, and advance transformative initiatives like the R.O.O.T. Center. Ultimately, I see this as an investment not only in my well-being, but in the health, sustainability, and future impact of C.O.P.E. and the communities we serve.”
Christina Peoples
The Amelia Ann Adams Whole Life Center (AAWLC)
Christina Peoples founded The Amelia Ann Adams Whole Life Center on the belief that families deserve the opportunity to move from surviving to thriving. As Founder and Executive Director, she has built an organization that connects health, education, healing, and social justice, centering lived experience and supporting communities in creating their own solutions.
Christina’s leadership is rooted in the understanding that healing is essential to lasting change. While continually holding space for her staff and community through moments of challenge and loss, she also worked to build a culture of shared leadership within her organization. This sabbatical will give her the opportunity to restore her own well-being, strengthen the systems of shared leadership she has built, and return with greater clarity, energy, and purpose.
For Christina, stepping away is an intentional act of care that will strengthen both her leadership and the community she serves.
“This opportunity feels important because it would allow me to step away intentionally, not out of burnout, but out of a commitment to long-term sustainability. I want to return with more clarity, energy, and grounding so I can continue to lead with the same level of care, creativity, and impact that our community deserves. Participating in this sabbatical will not only support my personal well-being, but also strengthen my leadership and ultimately benefit the organization and community I serve.”
Sustainable movements depend on people who have the opportunity to rest, reflect, and return to the work with clarity and purpose. We’re honored to invest in these extraordinary leaders and grateful to Chinedu’s family for their partnership in making this vision possible.
Congratulations to Malaika Parker, Pastor Samuel J. Casey, and Christina Peoples. We can’t wait to see what comes next for them, their organizations, and the communities they serve.
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