The Freedom Bloc Team
MEET OUR STAFF
Rev. Raymond Greene, Executive Director
Rev. Raymond Greene, Jr., executive director of BLOC, Greene has 11 years of experience working in Min. Raymond E. Greene Jr. was born and raised in Akron, Ohio to Gwendolyn Haslem and Raymond E. Greene Sr. Grounded with an incredible set of family values, Raymond began his journey on the road to success. Hiring and training over 2,000 people in direct sales through canvassing in Ohio, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Detroit and Pittsburgh, he used his skillset to build the largest voter registration team in the country. Greene’s collective efforts resulted in registering over 300K Black people to vote from 2012 to 2018. For several years, Greene served the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and Black Fork Strategies in many different positions including volunteer, Team Lead, Office Manager, Deputy Director, Political Director, and Organizing Director. These service and leadership roles were instrumental training grounds which cultivated Greene’s savvy as a strategic thinker and leader for BLOC
Ciara Vinzant - Political Director
Ciara Vinzant, is a multifaceted individual from Akron, Ohio, who is deeply committed to Black liberation and holistic wellness. Over the past decade she has committed herself to building and empowering leaders in the Black community through electoral organizing, civic engagement, and issue-based campaign work on a local and national scale. She is passionate about positive change and civic engagement and believes that through genuine relationship building and political education we can create a vehicle to change policies that affect people who are disenfranchised by systemic racism, mass incarceration, and voting policies.
Additionally, Ciara is a Registered Yoga Teacher, Reiki Practitioner, Herbalist, Doula, and Owner of The Radical Wellness Center highlighting her belief in the vital connection between self-care and liberation.
Shamika Pullum - Executive Administrator
Mrs.Shamika Pullum joined the Freedom Bloc as Executive Assistant in February of 2022.
Born and raised in Akron, Ohio Shamika has always had strong family values and loved community. Her work in Akron City Hospital, and offsite doctors offices for 6 years,helped her fulfill her love and gift of helping people . She then went on to volunteer at local Charter school where she tutored K-6 students in reading, helping bring up reading scores. After her successful first year of tutoring she went on to manage the front office of an all Kindergarten Academy. Shamika spent 6 years in the school system helping kids develop reading, personal, and life skills. Leading a girls youth group teaching young girls about feminine hygiene, how to deal with conflict, how to not be afraid to speak their truth. She taught them the power of words spoken and written, and how to be proud of their beautiful brown skin. As a Licensed Insurance Agent she realized that her passion was not being fulfilled and that she was just “working” and she left the industry. Joining the Freedom Bloc has helped Shamika continue to fulfill her love of community and family and to fight for the city she loves. Shamika is now the Operations Manager of the Freedom ROC\BLOC and looking forward to continuing serving the community and being a part of the change that Akron desperately needs.
