Shanika Houlder-White is the Deputy Executive Director of National Black Worker Center. Born into an immigrant family from Trinidad and Tobago, she spent her childhood in the countryside of Trinidad playing cricket, riding box carts, climbing mango trees, and making “chow”.  Since migrating to the US at the age of 14, she has earned a Bachelor of Education from Granite State University and spent the first half of her career in the classroom educating and supporting children and families in the inner city of Boston, Massachusetts. Like many immigrant and marginalized people, she also had a side hustle as a personal care attendant, which afforded her membership in the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).  Her 12+ years of experience includes advancing national organizing campaigns and holding leadership positions at SEIU 1199, Massachusetts Early Childhood Educators United, American Federation of Teachers Boston, and most recently as the National Organizing Director at United For Respect. She has built innovative engagement pathways and structures to develop low-wage workers that center Black and brown leadership. Shanika possesses a breadth of experience in organizational structure building and advancing culturally–centered leadership approaches. As a mom to 4 Black girls, she is devoted to leaving a more equitable world where their voices and leadership are centered and respected to ensure that they have the ability to thrive and experience true liberation.