Staff
Meet our incredible staff who make everything happen behind the scenes of this powerful Courageous Access Black Women's Conference (CABWC) 2026. Nothing happens without them!
SANA'A
Event Coordinator
Makayla-Ayasha Haynes, known and acknowledged as “Sana'a,” is an artist listening to, learning from, and moving in sacred conversation with the arts and an emerging systems leader whose presence consistently reshapes rooms far beyond measured years. Through poetry, voice, visual art, and fashion, Sana'a has been naming harm, illuminating truth, and affirming Black women and girls since childhood—grounded in lived wisdom shaped by a personal journey of surviving and freedom from childhood sexual violence, and a deep commitment to safety, honesty, and collective care.
A performer with SAY Poetry and a recurring force in Courageous Access' Empowerment through The Arts Showcase (the prequel to the Courageous Access Black Women’s Conference), Sana'a now serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for Courageous Access and as the conference event coordinator. Sana'a continues to take steps where every move is toward the future of activism and becoming a vocal vessel for the needs of the Black diaspora worldwide.
Unbound by age and uninterested in hierarchy, Sana'a embodies what is possible when truth is honored early, creativity is trusted as wisdom, and Black girls are allowed to grow into exactly who they already are.
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For more info, email her at: sanaachan0@gmail.com
COMFORT DUDZAI DONDO
Strategy Development Team: ​​​Fundraiser
Comfort Dondo is a visionary community leader, healer, and global advocate dedicated to advancing safety, dignity, and healing for African immigrant and refugee women. She is the Founding Executive Director of Phumulani: African Women Against Violence, a culturally specific organization rooted in Ubuntu that supports survivors of domestic and sexual
violence through crisis advocacy, housing stabilization, and holistic healing practices.
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​With a deep commitment to decolonized, community-centered care, Comfort bridges grassroots organizing with systems change—partnering with public agencies, philanthropy, and community networks across Minnesota, across the United States, and globally. Her
work and thought leadership have contributed to broader conversations on culturally specific responses to violence, influencing dialogues aligned with United Nations priorities on gender equity, human rights, and community-based healing. She also maintains strong
ties to the African continent, where her lived experiences and ongoing connections inform her approach to healing, reciprocity, and culturally grounded care.
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Her leadership centers storytelling as medicine, intergenerational healing, and the belief that true transformation happens when communities are seen, heard, and resourced.
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A sought-after speaker and strategist, Comfort’s work reimagines healing as infrastructure and positions culturally grounded approaches as essential to building safer, more connected communities—locally and globally.
CRAIG FARLEY, JR
Videographic Storyteller
Craig Anthony Farley Jr. is the founder of Cignature Productions LLC (est. 2016) and a videographic storyteller known for capturing powerful stories with precision, care, and integrity. His work spans major community events, public health initiatives, documentaries, brand storytelling, and legacy films—including statewide conferences, Juneteenth celebrations, national trainings, and multi-decade organizational milestones. Craig has a rare ability to translate qualitative outcomes into cinematic narratives that make impact visible and human—allowing sponsors to see results conveyed accurately while deepening emotional connection and engagement. In Black women’s healing spaces, he captures the most intimate, transformative moments without disrupting safety or atmosphere, preserving the full story while honoring boundaries. Visual storytelling that is truthful, beautiful, and protective of the sacred space it documents.