Angelina Simmonds

Angelina Simmonds

Angelina is from North Preston, where she spent much of her early life as a competitive swimmer. She has competed provincially and nationally, holding records in Nova Scotia. Her early experiences in athletics instilled a drive to uplift others, especially girls, through empowerment and confidence-building.

Building on her passion for empowering youth, Angelina pursued studies in Women and Gender Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University, fueling her commitment to addressing intersectional challenges. Angelina plays a key role to training programs and supports client project designs. As a Justice Navigator at the African Nova Scotian Justice Institute, she assists individuals in navigating the justice system. Her role encompasses prevention and mitigation in areas such as criminal law, family and child welfare, mental health, addictions, social justice issues, and addressing factors linked to contact with the justice system. Before this, Angelina held positions at Acadia University and Halifax Partnership, where she built relationships, facilitated connections, and developed, implemented, and reported on evaluating recruitment programs and initiatives.

Driven by her dedication to empowering Black women, Angelina founded Black Girls Pillow Talk, an initiative designed to provide a supportive platform for young Black girls to connect, learn, and thrive. Through engaging events and discussions, Angelina fosters a community where future generations of Black female leaders can flourish and uplift one another. To learn more about Black Girls Pillow Talk read here.

Angelina draws inspiration from the words of Audre Lorde, "it is not our differences that divide us, it is our ability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” Emphasizing the importance of embracing and celebrating differences as a means of unity and empowerment.