Lindsay Bradley, Director

Lindsay is an educator-organizer and an elementary teacher who has taught racially and economically diverse groups of people of all ages, at independent and charter schools, as well as in community organizations. Lindsay has extensive formal and popular education in anti-racist and anti-capitalist politics. She holds a BA in Education with a focus on progressive education as a tool for liberation. Lindsay is a skilled facilitator, trainer, and organizational leader. In the classroom Lindsay is known for her ability to build deep and meaningful relationships with young people and their families. At The Freedom Community School her facilitation skills will aid in group decision making, her experience in leadership and organizational development will support students and families into leadership roles, and her history as a student and a teacher of political education will guide our curriculum development and implementation. Lindsay was born into a family of multi-generational Washingtonians and has deep roots in the city, in progressive education, and in racial justice.

Andria Swanson, Teacher

Andria, affectionately known as Dria, is a powerful mom, educator, and entrepreneur. Growing up in Southeast Washington, DC, she challenged poverty and violence in her community. Dria attended an art academy in Idyllwild, California, and graduated from Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Dria attended Rutgers University for postsecondary education. As of this fall, she will receive her bachelor's degree from the University of DC, where she is a senior undergrad in elementary education.

As an early childhood teacher and community organizer, Dria is passionate about children and her community. A decade of teaching and professional experience makes Dria an expert in the field.

Dria founded her own company, The After 5 Entrepreneur, LLC teaching millennial families how to diversify their income and rebuild their credit. With her two children, Kassidy, 10, and King Tristan, 8, she launched Kreatively Kased, an iPhone accessory, and repair company, in October of 2020. Additionally, Dria is a featured author in the book, Story for the Gods.

In addition to her strong belief in divine purpose, Andria Swanson aims to educate, empower, and inspire others.

Richael Faithful, Board Member

Richael Faithful (they/them) is a movement folk healer, facilitator, and strategist born in DC and living in the city for 14 years. They are deeply committed to all levels of liberation, especially for Blacks folks in DC. Read more about them: www.richaelfaithful.com.

April Camara, Board member

My life’s purpose is to inspire others to fully embrace all of who they are and to encourage people to follow their dreams! There is no one pathway to your full purpose. We are all complex and unique individuals who contribute to the world in various ways. Many of us – especially black women- have never given ourselves permission to be free and to pursue all of our dreams!

I am grateful to be the Founder and Creator of Women of Purpose, a founding family of the Freedom Community School in SE DC, Co-Founder of the Black Public Defender Association, Chief of Lifelong Learning at NLADA, and the current Chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section. I am even more blessed to be able to pursue my passions with the support of my husband and while raising two beautiful and bold daughters.

Emma Redden, Board Member

Emma is a former teacher at The Freedom Community School. She is a preschool teacher and teacher educator. She was trained at a therapeutic preschool and is experienced in trauma informed teaching practices. She is deeply committed to teaching about race and colonialism and has found that preschoolers are incredibly flexible in their thinking, curious and engaged around these topics. She has written a book about talking with young children about race and racial violence, and offers teacher education through The Full Story School.