Brittany Packnett Cunningham
Activist. Educator. Writer. LEADER.
press | follow | contact | book
Brittany Packnett Cunningham is a leader at the intersection of culture, justice and policy. Rooted always in the belief that justice is divine and liberation is for everyone, Brittany’s mission is to speak and teach truth that moves people to action—no matter the platform. From protest to policy and television to podcasts, from live shows to keynotes and community to corporate, on screens small and large, Brittany has thoughtfully built an active community of partners and friends striving to build the world we deserve together.
Known globally for gripping, activating oration, Brittany challenges audiences to imagine justice without apology. Her TED Talk, The Revolution of Confidence, has been translated into 22 languages and been viewed nearly 8 million times worldwide, making it one of the top ten TED Talks of 2019. She hosts and executive produces the critically-acclaimed podcast UNDISTRACTED, in its third season on the Meteor Network.
Soon, Brittany will add author to her portfolio: her highly anticipated debut book, We Are Like Those Who Dream: Black Women’s Blueprint for a New Power, is coming soon from One World/Random House.
In 2020, Brittany became Founder and Principal of the social impact agency Love & Power Works, where she works as an interdisciplinary activist, creative and strategist to curate transformative projects and partnerships across industries to transform lives. Here, she leads grassroots strategy, creates provocative content, advises global political and cultural leaders, provides on-air political analysis and thought leadership, and consults with committed brands seeking to make lasting impact.
Brittany began her journey as a curious Black girl in the loving embrace of her faith-filled parents and beloved hometown of St. Louis, raised always to be committed to her people and the collective gift of freedom we are all owed. Today, Brittany’s incisive point of view captures audiences and compels action.
Brittany has been featured across television news, in powerful documentaries like Netflix’s Amend, Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly, and the Academy Award short-listed Stamped From The Beginning and TV series like HBO’s Pod Save America and Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas. Brittany has addressed global audiences live from New Zealand to Oxford University and The White House, and her writing seen on the pages of New York Magazine, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan and Teen Vogue.
Brittany’s creativity extends to meaningful brand partnerships, encompassing collaborations with Olay, Spotify, Procter & Gamble, Warner Brothers, Gucci, Sephora, BET and more to uplift messages of justice, amplify critical grassroots work and grant millions in charitable giving to help resource organizations from the COVID-19 pandemic to racial justice, gender equity and more.
Brittany has always sought to curate a purpose-driven career, building skill in the study of making change through proximity, community care and innovation. Previously, Brittany served as Vice President of Social Impact for BET Media Group and launched BET Thrive, the network’s brand committed to ensuring Black communities can thrive in our wellness, financial, and civic lives. BET Thrive served as the engine for National Black Voter Day, critical social issue coverage featuring Vice President Kamala D. Harris, Michelle Obama, Chris Paul and a host of A-list celebrity voices, collaborations with partners like the NBA and Black Voters Matter, and the creation of the BET Thrive Fund, which drove over $350,000 in charitable giving to grassroots organizations to often overlooked social issues including environmental racism, Black Queer & Trans justice, and Black mental health in just its first year.
Before her expansive work in media and culture, Brittany spent nearly 15 years working in public education and policy, from her time as a teacher in her beloved third grade classroom in Washington, DC’s Ward 8 to her days hitting the pavement as a legislative aide to former Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay of Missouri’s first district. There, she served her hometown in Washington, DC, specializing in domestic policy issues and staffing the Congressman on the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee and the House US Census Subcommittee during the former Congressman’s tenure as Chair.
Brittany also held senior leadership roles at Teach For America for nearly a decade. Throughout her tenure, she managed bipartisan government relations for one-third of the organizations 50-region portfolio, innovated organization-wide collaborations with the Congressional Tri-Caucus, led TFA’s national work with DACAmented, LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC teachers, and returned to her hometown to serve 20,000 students across their St. Louis region. During her time at the organization, she was a co-founder of their now national alumni of color organization, The Collective, and was awarded TFA’s highest alumni honor, The Peter Jennings Prize, in 2015.
Always an educator, Brittany was invited to join the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics Resident Fellows in 2018, where her Study Group, “All Power to All The People: Redefining Power, Social Movements and Intersectional Activism” were so popular, she was invited back to join as a fellow for an additional two semesters as both a residential and Director’s Fellow. Her continued courses on modern social change featured an unvarnished look at blueprints of the past and challenged students of all ages to take the spirit of protest everywhere. Sessions included speakers like Sophia Bush, Angela Rye, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and in the egalitarian spirit of public education, the course handouts remain available for free download.
While unapologetically keeping her feet in the streets during the Ferguson Uprising and in many cities beyond, Brittany served as a member of President Obama’s 21st Century Policing Task Force, Missouri’s Ferguson Commission, and former co-founder of Campaign Zero, working to raise the voices of her neighbors in organizing as citizens and policymakers alike navigated decisions to stop the police violence that remains a priority of our day—and of Brittany’s work.
Among the many unexpected milestones and accolades Brittany has received for her work, she is honored to have graced the covers of British Vogue and Essence Magazines, been listed as one of Time’s 12 New Faces of Black Leadership, and has been awarded by Politico Magazine, Marie Claire, The Trayvon Martin Foundation, The National Urban League, Beyonce and more. In 2022, she became the first in the 100 year history of her famed high school alma mater, John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Mo., to be awarded both of the school’s top alumni honors for distinguished service and civic leadership. In recognition of her impact and leadership, President Barack Obama has called Brittany “a voice who is going to be making a difference for years to come.”
Brittany takes great pride in mentoring young change agents of color, and serves on the Gucci Changemakers Council, the Sephora Equity Advisors, the Children’s Defense Fund Action Council, and the board of New Disabled South. You can find her @MsPackyetti on all social media, and subscribe to her podcast wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Brittany lives with her husband Reginald, an artist and photographer, and their brilliant and gregarious son in the Washington, DC area.
As she ends every episode, “Let’s go get free.”
