About Ujima

Established in 2015, Ujima, The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community, addresses the pervasive issues of sexual assault and domestic and community violence within the Black Community.

We champion the empowerment and resilience of Black women and girls.

Ujima serves as a resource to:

Survivors of violence

Advocates and service providers

The community at large

What’s In A Name?

Rooted in the profound ethos of the third principle of Kwanzaa, Ujima embodies the commitment to ‘collective work and responsibility’. As an organization, we embrace this guiding principle, recognizing its transformative power to mobilize and uplift our communities from within.

Through our research, policy, programming, and engagement efforts, we harness the power of collective action to drive meaningful change

How We Define Black Culture

The diversity within the Black community is rich and multifaceted, encompassing a wide range of ethnicities, cultures, languages, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, and lived experiences. It is this vibrant diversity that fuels our commitment to ensuring that Ujima’s policies and practices are reflective of the vast experiences of the African diaspora.

Our Mission 

Ujima’s mission is to inspire and support the Black community in responding to and preventing domestic and community violence and sexual assault. With a focus on collective responsibility and shared prosperity, we strive to cultivate a world where Black women and girls thrive. We pursue this mission by leveraging our resources, expertise, and networks to build a brighter future for generations to come.

Our Vision

The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community aspires to create a future where Black Women and Girls are celebrated and live free from violence.

Meet Our Executive Team

Karma Cottman

Chief Executive Officer

Gretta Gardner

Esq., Chief Legal Officer

Jennifer Hooker

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer

Karma Cottman

Chief Executive Officer

Karma Cottman – pronouns she, her, hers – serves Ujima as Chief Executive Officer. In addition to leading the team, Karma’s responsibilities include engaging in discussions with other programs, legislative officials, and state and local government agencies. She works to change legislation and laws as they relate to domestic violence and the black community.

Before joining Ujima Inc., Karma led the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence as Executive Director for a decade, and prior to that, served the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) for a decade. As the Vice President of Policy and Emerging Issues, she directed the agency’s policy agenda and supervised NNEDV’s state coalition and housing technical assistance projects. Karma also worked closely with national policy partners to strengthen federal legislation to effectively respond to the needs of all survivors of domestic violence.

Karma, a Washington, D.C. native, has worked with numerous national partners to address emerging issues in domestic violence service provision and sits on several national committees. She also served as the co-director of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence Rural Diversity Initiative, where she assisted with developing a community assessment tool to identify service gaps in numerous local Florida communities. 

Karma currently serves on the steering committee of the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African Community and the Policy Partnership for Communities of Color. In her spare time, Karma enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.

About Gretta Gardner

Esq., Chief Legal Officer

Gretta Gardner – pronouns she, her, hers – serves Ujima as Chief Legal Officer. Gretta is primarily responsible for managing operations and staff, engaging in state, local, and federal policy discussions impacting Black survivors of gender-based violence, and conducting training and technical assistance on bias in the civil and criminal legal systems.

Prior to joining Ujima, Gretta was the Family Violence Director for Travis County Justice Planning in Austin, TX, where she developed a protocol for the surrender of firearms for offenders, created a supervised visitation and safe exchange center, and designed a prostitution diversion court.

Gretta sits on the Board of Trustees for Garrison Forest School; is licensed in D.C., MD, TX, and SCOTUS; is a certified mediator, and belongs to a multitude of national committees that address violence against women and children.

Gretta’s passion is propelled by her desire to ensure that survivors have access to all remedies to live free from violence. She has a BA in Psychology from Vassar and JD from the University of Maryland. She is the proud mom of two boys who love basketball and make a lot of noise.

Jennifer Hooker

 

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer

Jennifer Hooker is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer at the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence since 2007.

As CFO and COO, she is responsible for the overall management and operations of the finance, accounting, and administrative functions of the Coalition, including planning and budgeting, audit and internal controls, financial report preparation, and general controllership. With 30 years of experience, she has devoted the last 15 years to working with non-profit organizations.

Leave this site safely

You can quickly leave this website using the “ESCˮ button on the top right corner.

Internet usage can be monitored and at times, difficult to erase. If you need to reach someone faster, please call the confidential 24-hour National Domestic Violence hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233).
Exit Now
Continue