Lakenya Smith is a community organizer with the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice. Lakenya joined Katal in 2023 and is responsible for growing the organization’s membership and base, developing new leadership, and building community power. 

Lakenya first worked with Katal as part of the #ShutRikers canvassing project. She quickly became a leader on the canvassing teams, and in 2024 was selected for Katal’s Organizer Apprenticeship Program. She completed the program in 2025 and was promoted to community organizer. 

As part of the #ShutRikers canvassing project, Lakenya led outreach teams to knock on doors across the city, talking with New Yorkers about their communities, safety, justice, and closing Rikers. The project, which ran from 2022 through 2025, succeeded in canvassing nearly 200,000 doors across all five boroughs and connecting with tens of thousands of New Yorkers. 

Lakenya played a pivotal role in Katal’s campaign that led to legislation overhauling the New York State Commission of Correction, the agency responsible for oversight of jails, prisons, and juvenile detention facilities throughout the state. She organized and mobilized members to meet directly with their elected officials, prepared them to participate effectively in lobby days in Albany, and turned out the base for rallies that applied public pressure on decision-makers. The state legislature passed the reforms in June 2025, and the governor signed them into law six months later. 

Lakenya came to Katal with extensive experience in civic engagement, having worked on electoral campaigns for more than 20 years. She has supervised outreach teams working in the community to collect petitions for candidates while educating voters about the contenders’ policy positions. She has also supervised canvassing teams to educate voters and to get out the vote, using the Voter Activation Network (VAN) database and MiniVAN tools to engage and follow up with registered voters. 

Prior to joining Katal, Lakenya worked as an HIV prevention specialist and case manager at Planned Parenthood of New York’s innovative Project Street Beat, which provides confidential, nonjudgmental services to people of all genders, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay. As a case manager committed to harm reduction, Lakenya worked with people who are living with or at risk for HIV or who have other chronic health conditions, meeting people where they were on their journey and offering support. She led workshops for women’s groups, immigrant communities, parents, and caregivers. She cultivated empathy and support for people struggling with addiction and mental health issues, providing guidance on resources, as well as compassion and genuine human connection. These principles continue to guide her organizing practice.

Lakenya studied liberal arts at Bloomfield College and completed programming at SUNY Brooklyn Educational Opportunity Center. She has earned a diverse array of certifications in harm reduction and health care, including for first aid, CPR, overdose prevention, and as an HIV/AIDS educator. She has also completed trainings with the SISTA Project, Social Movement Technologies, The Management Center, Midwest Academy, People’s Action, and Freedom Trainers. 

Lakenya contributed to the 2024 zine #ShutRikers: A Brief History of Political Graphics in 15 Stickers, published by Josh MacPhee and Pavement Press, with a second edition in 2026. She’s also a contributor to Katal’s 2026 report, Three Years, Five Boroughs, 200,000 Doors: A Report on Katal’s #ShutRikers Canvassing Project, September 2022–December 2025.

Outside of work, Lakenya values traveling, spending time with her family, and collecting sneakers, all of which keep her grounded and inspired.