Meet The Team

Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez is an Afro-Indigenous, non-binary immigrant and the Executive Director of Somos Familia, a Bay Area-based organization dedicated to building leadership in Latinx families and communities to create a culture where people of diverse genders and sexual orientations can thrive. With over a decade of experience in education organizing, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and family engagement, Sasha brings deep expertise in coalition building, transformative justice, and bilingual program development. Sasha is a former Senior Parent Organizer at the Parent Leadership Action Network and served as Coalition Coordinator for the Bay Area Coalition for Education Justice. Sasha has led initiatives across East Oakland schools, mobilized families for systemic change, and trained hundreds of parents, youth, and educators. At Somos Familia, Sasha has expanded culturally responsive programming, implemented healing-centered support groups, and strengthened partnerships with schools, grassroots collectives, and statewide networks. Sasha has also worked closely with LGBTQ+ families, transmasculine leaders, and Spanish-speaking immigrant parents to build resilience, leadership, and care-centered policy advocacy. Sasha is a proud auntie, a salsa-dancing volunteer in their niece’s classroom, and a firm believer in joy as a form of resistance.