By Kaniya Stebbins
Trinity Times Correspondent

Diversity and change in politics and business has been discussed for decades, and with a nationally recognized career spanning a quarter century in public affairs, strategic communications and political management, Yolanda Caraway has built bridges to help create a just America for all. 

Caraway’s role as an activist and businesswoman has inspired women of color to involve themselves in national policy for decades and when she enrolled in Neosho Ponder’s Media and Social Change class at Trinity Washington University in the spring semester of 2023, the adjunct professor was a bit intimidated.

Ponder was familiar with Caraway’s accomplishments and role in shaping the goals and objectives of the National Democratic Party, and wondered what she could teach someone with such credentials in social change.

The professor was enraptured by such a disciplined student brimming with enthusiasm and humility to learn more about a subject she herself has been a trailblazer in. 

Caraway’s path to activism and social change began when she was just 14 years old. 

“I’ve always wanted to help people,” Caraway told Trinity Times, adding that even as a teenager she envisioned herself being a voice in politics and perhaps owning her own business. 

She achieved both goals, but not without a well-traveled journey. 

She served as a director of education and training for the DNC from 1982 to 1985 and was appointed senior advisor to DNC Chairman Paul Kirk and as executive director of the Fairness Commission.

By late 1985 Caraway became chief of staff at the National Rainbow Coalition, a political organization that grew out of Jesse Jackson’s 1984 presidential campaign. 

“It was ‘the movement,’ it was something different,” she said. “It was like ‘our campaign,’ Black people’s campaign. I have never experienced anything like that, and it was really personal for most people.” 

From these experiences Caraway determined her value to a movement and in her skills in achieving what was deemed impossible. 

In 1988 she was appointed as an At Large DNC Member, a seat she held through 2009. 

After playing a role in the election of Ron Brown to chair the Democratic National Committee, Caraway continued to be the senior advisor at party headquarters in Washington and managed the site selection process of the 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York that nominated future President Bill Clinton. 

She has managed the backstage podium operations for the Democratic National Convention since 2008, according to Hyperfocal Communications.

Caraway launched The Caraway Group in 1987, an event planning business she managed from her bedroom in its first few years of operation.

Her friends would laugh about how she fit all her things in her bedroom, that it consisted of her bed, her conference table, a desk with a computer and printer off to the side of the bed. 

“I just rolled out of bed and got to work,” Caraway said, noting that her business was slow to grow into what it is today, mostly from early mistakes she made in believing that just because she worked for such prominent people and helped get people elected, she could coast to success. 

“You have to know what you want,” Caraway said. “Nobody is sitting around thinking about what you want to do.”

Realizing she needed more than just clout, her business subsequently gained many clients, eventually adding public relations services to the organization.

“When I go to old employment files and look at all the young people who came to work for me and people I mentored, I’m still working with them,” Caraway said, noting that building relationships is one of her specialties. “They work for me, I come and work for them, it’s like full service.” 

The Caraway Group has been successful in increasing diversity in big U.S. companies like MGM, Microsoft, Google, Xbox, Airbnb, AT&T and many others, with Caraway stressing why diversity is important in these industries.

“I mean, it’s the world,” she said. “The world is a diverse world; we are not all white anymore. People have moved into different platforms and are doing all kinds of things. There is not anything that white people do that people of color can’t do and don’t do.” 

Resistance to diversity comes from the fear of losing power, Caraway said, noting this was mainly a fear of white people.

“They are just scared we are going to take over,” she said with a laugh, noting the reactions that came during the presidency of Barack Obama. “They were like, ‘Oh Lordy, Black people are taking over the world now.” 

A constant mission for Black entrepreneurs and political leaders has been to combat the spread misinformation from bad actors to people who don’t know any better.

“I feel like representation is everything, so the more we see people who look like us in these positions, the more motivated we’ll be to accomplish the same things,” said Suzette Robinson, a Trinity senior and Health Services major. “I appreciate how Yolanda Caraway keeps in touch with her mentees because life and career paths can be challenging and it’s always good to have somebody who genuinely wants to assist you in your corner.” 

True leadership is demonstrated when successful activists and businesswomen give back to the next generation of potential female leaders, a mantra Caraway has upheld, said Joshua Wright, an associate professor of Global Affairs at Trinity.

“I believe Mrs. Caraway embodies what Trinity stands for,” Wright told Trinity Times. “The university is dedicated to educate women, especially those of color in recent decades, to become change makers dedicated to improving the world and social justice. She has done that in the political realm, working alongside Civil Rights icon Jesse Jackson, and using her influence to promote diversity in corporate America.” 

As one of the authors of the 2018 book “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics,” Caraway highlighted four powerful women in American politics who share their stories about their friendship and how they have changed the political landscape in the U.S. 

The original idea was to make a documentary, then shifted to creating a scripted drama, but Caraway and her fellow authors finally decided a book was the best vehicle to allow these women to tell their own story. 

They are now working with CBS to create a scripted drama.

A message Caraway wants to share with every “colored girl” with dreams of creating a business or going into the political world is to go into it with solid skills, determination, and humility. 

“You’ve got to know what you want, and don’t be afraid to ask for it,” she said. “I’ve carried people’s purses. I’ve carried people’s luggage. I’ve done all that stuff to get where I am. Don’t think you’re too good to do that, it’s like a blessing to be able to do that with these people. But don’t forget what you idolize about them.”