Reaching Beyond Bias with Shayna Marie

Shayna Marie is a thought-provoking writer, passionate poet, experienced facilitator, accidental historian and intentional curator whose voice is a raw, powerful call for narrative justice and community unity. She believes that everyone should have the tools and resources to share their stories - through music, media, and creative expression. She has managed several community-oriented events and projects in which creators, entrepreneurs, and community could come together to experience the rich cultural diversity our community has to share. In 2023, she was honored to be selected for Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses’ “Young, Black & Gifted” award. Reaching Beyond Bias is a platform and organization committed to helping West Michigan residents understand the differences that drive us apart. We provide training opportunities, community engagement, intergroup dialogues, and multi-media resources and tools that enable the community to understand diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion issues. Focusing primarily on the theme of “narrative justice,” we believe that our stories are valuable and that our experiences should be shared with the world. Reaching Beyond Bias supports community media projects including documentary production and a podcast incubation ecosystem in partnership with Grand Rapids Media Initiative and Film Incubator.