Kiyomi Kowalski

Kiyomi Kowalski is an Afro-Latin, queer, Jewish Marine Corps veteran and mother who works to ensure that all of the intersecting identities of her and her children feel at home in any space.

If there is one word to sum up her life’s work, it would be “inclusion.” Kiyomi’s social justice activism is centered on creating more inclusive spaces for Jewish people of all backgrounds as well as eradicating racism and antisemitism. To that end, she develops, produces, and facilitates panels, workshops, and discussions on the topics of race, racism, and antisemitism. She utilizes non-violent communication approaches to coach people through tough conversations and promote productive dialogues.

In 2020, Kiyomi co-founded Jewbian Princess, a Black, Jewish women-led organization to deliver corporate-level diversity and inclusion education to Jewish organizations through a Jewish lens. Kiyomi joined the Project Shema team as a coach and facilitator to help educate people on antisemitism and its root causes within social justice activism in 2021. In her role as the Director of Partnerships at Project Shema, Kiyomi works with Jewish activists to provide a training and support strategy with the goal of slowing the tide of antisemitism to ensure Jewish voices are included in progressive activism.

Recently, Kiyomi joined the facilitator team at Ta’amod to “stand up” for creating psychologically safe Jewish workplaces through empathy, education, and equity. In addition to her day jobs, Kiyomi serves as a board member of the Los Angeles section of the National Council for Jewish Women (NCJW) and the national board of Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). She has a degree in political science and a Juris Doctorate with an emphasis in public service. Kiyomi lives with her partner and two children in the suburbs of Los Angeles, where she can be found watercolor painting, embroidering, and sewing pieces of flare to inspire a more just world. Learn more about her at KiyomiKowalski.com.