Elijah’s Story

Elijah Lee, a 16-year-old student and community activist, is a national advocate for children. For the past six years, Elijah has organized annual child abuse prevention marches and served as a public speaker on the issue of child abuse. To support young survivors and reduce the impacts of trauma, Elijah organized and raised funds for pediatric safe rooms at Vidant North Hospital in Roanoke Rapids, NC, and the Children's Hospital of Richmond. He raised over $15,000 between both projects, leading him to be named the 2022 Emerging Philanthropic Leader by the Central Virginia Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Elijah is the founder of a nonprofit organization, Hear Our Voices, dedicated to empowering young people with an emphasis on assisting youth in finding their voice and becoming agents of change.  For this work, he was named the 2022 Youth Entrepreneur of the Year by the Metropolitan Business League. Elijah is an active lobbyist with the Virginia General Assembly, advocating and testifying for legislation impacting young people. In the 2023 General Assembly Session, he introduced six bills, with three getting passed. For the 2024 session, he has continued this work, submitting over 10 pieces of legislation. For his efforts, Elijah was recognized by the Virginia House of Delegates as House Joint Resolution 283. He serves as a public speaker on the issues of child abuse, racism, oppression, and trauma-informed care.  He has served as the keynote speaker for the KIPP National Summit, Indiana NAACP Conference, Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina Conference, Virginia School Safety Conference and other events. Elijah serves as the Co-President of the Virginia Chapter of Voters of Tomorrow, as well as, a founding Co-Chair of the Coalition for Virginia’s Future. Elijah is a field organizer for several organizations, with focuses ranging from protecting reproductive freedom to increasing access to mental health services. Elijah’s activism led him to be featured on the Marvel Hero Project on Disney+, made two appearances on the Kelly Clarkson Show, and be highlighted in PEOPLE Magazine and an edition of the Black Panther Comic. Elijah was also named one of the youngest award recipients of Style Weekly’s 40 under 40. In addition, at the age of 10, Elijah became an ordained minister and he continues to serve as a guest preacher. He remains committed to his academics as Sophomore Class Co-President at Maggie L Walker Governor’s School.