Zachi Elias

Starting at age 5, volunteering at a local shelter alongside his family helped Zachi build an awareness of social fairness. These early experiences, together with being born and raised in Washington DC, laid the foundation for his interest in housing equity, and afforded him the amazing opportunity to become the youngest and first high school student on birdSEED's Advisory Board.

Driven by his interest in history and housing, he launched "Housing Our Stories," an oral history podcast series that highlights the often overlooked stories of individuals in different housing assistance environments, guided by his belief that true history must include all voices. This belief also inspired him to study the overlooked sacrifices of Black African soldiers in World War II, resulting in a blog and a forthcoming research paper.

He has tutored affordable housing youth residents and through a training program at a local social justice non-profit, he improved his photography skills to highlight social issues including housing.

He expanded his history education through programs at the National History Academy and The National Institute of American History and Democracy, and volunteered with the American History Digital Transcription Project, where he transcribed historical documents, including narratives from enslaved people and American soldiers.

Zachi appreciates the opportunity to play a part in birdSEED's efforts to address disparities in housing ownership.