A passion for change
Malik Washington is the executive director of the William Kellibrew Foundation in Washington, D.C. The foundation is dedicated to breaking the cycles of domestic violence.
Malik Washington speaks at the 2013 International Youth Organization Forum in Beijing.
An advocate, nonprofit consultant and youth mentor, Chartiers-Houston High School graduate Malik Washington educates young men looking to learn more about domestic violence, rape, police relations and race.
No one in the history of the Washington-Greene County Coaches’ Track & Field Championships posted a faster time in the 100-meter dash than Malik Washington, a Chartiers-Houston High School graduate who shares the meet record of 10.9 seconds with six others.
Washington’s pace hasn’t slowed since he tied that record in 2006, and, looking back, he’s been on the fast track since at least age 9, when he was a third-grader at Allison Park Elementary School.
That’s when Washington wrote a Letter to the Editor, pointing out an error on the Mini Page, that was published in the Observer-Reporter. The pictures of former U.S. presidents William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison were incorrectly identified. Washington set the record straight.
“I’ve always read the newspaper. Journalism is one of my loves,” Washington said. “I’ve always been attentive and involved with what’s going on.”
Washington pursued a career in journalism after graduation from Howard University, where he studied communications with minors in political science and Afro-American studies. He quickly landed a job with National Public Radio as a blogger for Tell Me More with Michel Martin. His duties at NPR expanded, but Washington’s love of journalism wasn’t as strong as his desire to become involved.
While with NPR, Washington participated in a protest supporting Troy Anthony Davis, who was convicted of and executed for the 1989 death of police officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, Ga. Davis always maintained his innocence, and the case drew national interest.
“That’s when I realized I wanted to be involved in a way that journalists aren’t allowed to be,” said Washington, who still appears on NPR, only these days as a guest, speaking on hot-button topics like domestic violence, rape, police relations and race.
The 27-year-old Washington is dedicated to educating people struggling with those issues in addition to being strongly opinionated and well-spoken. They’re all reasons why the former track standout serves as executive director the William Kellibrew Foundation. He’s an advocate, nonprofit consultant and youth mentor who gets recognized as the “no domestic violence guy” at his local grocery store.
Based in Washington, D.C., the foundation dedicates itself to breaking the cycles of domestic violence and poverty by harnessing and providing resources to victims and organizations. Washington’s duties are part prevention, intervention, education and outreach. One day, he’ll fly to Kansas City to speak at a conference. The next day, Washington could be in front of 300 students at a college in Scranton. He’s trained police officers and detectives. The foundation’s work was even featured on ESPN last fall.
It’s a hectic pace, but he also finds time to work with the D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which focuses on gender-based training, and Break the Cycle, which is dedicated to halting unhealthy relationships.
“I couldn’t do it if I didn’t feel strongly. People often ask me how I got involved, and part of it is because it’s the type of issues that, unless more men speak out and are more active about, the cycle continues,” Washington said. “I’m focused on making sure we’re raising young men the right way. They need to know what abuse is. They need to know what rape is. There’s a healthy masculinity, and we’re trying to change the expectations of what manhood means to a lot of people.”
Washington’s work is far from typical, but it hardly comes as a surprise to those who know him well.
Kristy Smydo met Washington when he was a freshman at Chartiers-Houston. She worked as an outside contractor at Chartiers-Houston, Canon-McMillan and Bentworth, helping students find colleges and locate the money to get there. Usually, she doesn’t meet students until they are seniors.
Washington was an exception.
“When I first met him, I thought, ‘This boy is just a freshman and he’s got all this talent,'” said Smydo. “His writing skills, his speaking skills, they were above anyone I’ve come across. The thing about Malik is he writes and speaks from his heart. I’ve worked with hundreds and hundreds of kids. He just stood out. He is an energy person, and I always say he has more potential than anyone I’ve ever worked with.”
And Smydo beams with pride when speaking of Washington’s long list of extraordinary accomplishments.
“I expected great things from him, and I told him that the first time I met him,” Smydo said. “He has so much to give, and he’s one of the few people who is giving back. This is just the beginning.”
Actually, the beginning came when Washington was 12. That’s when he joined the Western Pennsylvania Association of Youth Leadership. And a year after graduating from Chartiers-Houston, he established a scholarship fund at his alma mater.
“There are a lot of things that I want to share. That’s always been my attitude and why I’m involved with what I’m doing,” Washington said. “I have a passion to change things.”