Founder

Syda Segovia Taylor is the founder and executive director of Organic Oneness. Together with her board members, countless volunteers, and multitude of community partners, she convenes a community building process that identifies solutions and generates events to promote racial and environmental justice. Syda also encourages everyone to care for themselves as they transform society and provides "Fortress of Wellness" trainings for social activists and caregivers to prevent burn-out, illness, and compassion fatigue.

Ms. Taylor is a Fellow in the second cohort for Culture of Health Leadership Institute for Racial Healing, a part of the Interfaith America Emerging Leaders Fellowship, a National Partner for the Be the Healing Movement with Joy DeGruy Publications, on the executive committee for the Greater Bronzeville Community Action Council, and completed five years on the Bahá’í Local Spiritual Assembly for Chicago, a nine-member administrative body that helps strengthen the spiritual and social fabric of community life. Syda has been featured on various podcasts, media outlets, and was recently on the final episode of “This is Life” with Lisa Ling promoting interracial marriages.

She has been a justice advocate all her life and has over 25 years of practical experience connecting Black and Latiné youth and families to opportunities with city agencies and non-profits in Chicago. Her education matches her experience with an M.A. Community Development & Social Justice degree from Loyola University, a B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Youth Development Practitioner Certification from the Chicago Area Project, and an Advocacy Training Certificate from the Chicago Foundation for Women.

She began her journey as a dancer and elementary physical education/health teacher, and fulfilled her role with the Chicago Public Schools, CPS, as the Family and Community Engagement in Education (FACE2) Manager. As an independent consultant, she devoted 18 months to provide training for approximately 1,000 people on racism, trauma, and healing to address violence in Chicago. She also helped develop the Light of Unity Festival for the Baha’i Temple, a nine-week series of events that promoted principles of unity, peace, and justice.

Prior to that she directed programs for high profile non-profits such as Project Exploration, Quad Communities Development Corporation, After School Matters, and the Chicago Park District. During her time as an education program officer with Local Initiative Support Corporation in 2012, she won the Together for Tomorrow award from the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama administration and was also recognized by the former Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emmanuel, for her accomplishments with the Elev8 nation-wide initiative started by Atlantic Philanthropies.

With her father from Honduras and mother from Colombia, she considers herself a world citizen and promotes the oneness of humankind. As a breast cancer survivor, she underwent severe surgeries and treatments from 2008-2014 which strengthened her deep connection to the earth, healthy eating, and fierce courage to fulfill her purpose of advancing humanity towards peace and unity.

"We are a part of one world and every race, age and gender are needed to advance society.
Emotions and logic are just as valid and equally important as arts and sciences.

There is a dire need and urgency for us to understand that we are one human family.
We are witnessing the danger of believing we are not interconnected.

I believe we need to be strategic, intentional, and let the data guide us but we also need to build
long-lasting relationships, reflect on what we've learned, and most importantly, have fun! "