Why you should listen
Amber Hikes is a social justice advocate, community organizer and unapologetic queer Black woman. She serves as both the internal and external ambassador on the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as a crucial cornerstone of the ACLU's culture of belonging.
Before joining the ACLU, Hikes served as the executive director of the Philadelphia Mayor's Office of LGBTQ Affairs where she developed policy and served as the principal advisor to the mayor on issues that affect the LGBTQ community. There, she set her sights on fighting and advocating for the most impacted populations within the LGBTQ community, specifically youth, elders, immigrants, transgender people and people of color. She advocated for anti-discrimination legislation at the municipal level, passed one of the nation's most trans-inclusive police policies and added black and brown stripes to the rainbow flag, prompting an international conversation about race and discrimination within the LGBTQ community.
In 2018, OUT Magazine recognized Hikes as "Community Organizer of the Year" and Business Equality Pride named her one of the "40 LGBTQ Leaders Under 40." She earned a masters in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and psychology and english degrees from the University of Delaware.
