DR. RAY STEVENSON is a writer, cultural organizer, and educator whose work focuses on creating participatory, justice-centered spaces where young people and their communities are empowered to tell their stories, critique systems, and imagine radical futures. Rooted in bell hooks' framework of love as a radical act and a practice of freedom, Ray's projects prioritize relational accountability, creative expression, and youth power.

Through arts-based organizing and youth participatory action research (YPAR), Ray designs projects that challenge systemic harm while exploring alternatives to extractive models of research, education, and policy. Their work spans classrooms, summer programs, and grassroots initiatives, always centering collaborative storytelling and creative expression as tools for social change. They have created and supported numerous youth-led research and storytelling initiatives, including the 2021 New Orleans YPAR Academy and ongoing collaborations with the Center for Youth Equity at Tulane University.

Ray holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from Tulane University's interdisciplinary City, Culture, and Community program. Their dissertation research culminated in a youth-led graphic novel that explores racial inequity in New Orleans schools—embodying their commitment to making research accessible and community-centered. She's also the author of The Light through the Woods, a children's picture book about grief, and has contributed graphic stories to indie comics anthologies.

When they're not teaching youth to stick it to the man, you can find them making (terrible) art, reading graphic novels, and rocking out with their toddler.