Sophia Lafontant: A Change Agent

By Miss Rikki

Sophia Lafontant is a young woman fighting for change.  Through Oxfam America she is able to trot the globe putting forth efforts to eradicate poverty and combat injustice.   One might say she always had a world view – her parents are from Haiti and she grew up in Boston, Massachusetts then later in Louisiana.  She first heard about Oxfam America in college through a friend.  She applied to The CHANGE Initiative, got accepted, and began a weeklong training course in leadership and advocacy skills.  After that, she was a fair trade organizer on her college campus. 

Years later she still works for Oxfam International.  She went from a participant in the program to being a leader.  She is now the Senior Organizer Training Specialist.  Her most rewarding moment came when she organized the 10 year anniversary of the CHANGE Initiative program, where 100 of the 550 alumni showed up to reconnect with one another. 

For anyone out there wondering why she has taken such an interest in the world and is not specifically working towards our problems here at home, Ms Lafontant refers to Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous quote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  She says, “What happens in the Congo with violence against women, what happens in Iraq, in Afghanistan, shapes our world view.  It reminds us that we aren’t all that different.  Our common humanity doesn’t go away.”

Her future plans involve a family and delving into the political sector.  Ms Lafontant wants be the Senior Advisor to the President of the United States!  I know…this SistaGirl has some serious goals!  Now politics is kind of a dirty game, so I asked her why she would want to get involved in that capacity.  “I’m most interested in policies,” she said.  “Poor people are not usually poor due to their own devices.  There are usually institutions in place to keep them there.  I want to bring my experiences to policy making.”  Ms. Lafontant says she has always had a passion for justice and strives to make sure that whatever capacity she works in she is helping to make the world a better and safer place. 

Her advice to Sistagirlz all over the world is to find a mentor.  Mentors give advice, open doors, and introduce you to people who can help you.  Anyone interested in Oxfam America can visit their website.