We were birthed from the ashes of the 2020 uprisings. As Black people, as young people, as organizers and abolitionists, it became glaringly apparent during 2020 that we could not depend on white media nationally or locally to serve our best interests, or to empathize and advocate for us. So we brought our talents and passions together and formed The Defender.
KC Defender Team
Ryan A. Sorrell
Founder & Executive Editor
Ryan has a diverse background including working at one of the nation’s most esteemed Black think tanks, one of Chicago’s top B2B Tech PR agencies, a top 3 global PR firm, and founding Kansas City’s largest Black-led direct action group during the 2020 uprisings. During Ryan’s professional career he’s consulted brands such as Facebook, Samsung, Amazon and Google.
He is a recipient of the Civil and Human Rights Award recognized by the Urban League of Kansas City, Southern Christian Leadership Conference and NAACP. He has also engaged in a number of public talks as a prison industrial complex Abolitionist thinker including on; NPR, PBS, a Kansas City Art Institute Lecture, a lecture at University of the Arts London, the Annual International Symposium (Digital Ethics for a Sustainable Society), as well as the T-Mobile Speaker Series.
Mili Mansaray
Senior Editor & Director of Radical Media Initiatives
Mili Mansaray is a Sierra Leonean-American journalist from Columbia, South Carolina. In 2020, she graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in digital journalism, Africana studies, and Spanish. Since graduating, Mili has freelanced with various publications — covering various topics from interior design to housing insecurity, racial segregation, voter rights, and more. Mili is the recently hired Editor & Director of Radical Media Initiatives for The Kansas City Defender. Mili is passionate about amplifying the voices of marginalized and underrepresented communities and seeks to create a lasting, real-world impact through colorful and engaging storytelling
Khadijah Bland
Director of Development & Revenue
Khadijah Bland is the Director of Development & Revenue at The Kansas City Defender, where she architects radical, sustainable funding strategies to fuel one of the most unapologetic Black media forces in the country. A master fundraiser, relationship builder, and strategist, Khadijah is committed to breaking the mold of traditional nonprofit revenue models—mobilizing major gifts, pioneering innovative funding streams, and ensuring The Defender remains an independent, community-first platform for Black folks.
A powerhouse both on and off the field, Khadijah was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame for her record-breaking softball career, embodying the same relentless drive in her work to resource The Defender’s abolitionist journalism and community programs.
JT
Senior Cultural Producer
JT is a Senior Cultural Strategist and Content Producer at The Kansas City Defender. He has produced numerous of The Defender’s most prolific cultural content and continues to lead audience strategy, particularly targeting Gen Z. JT’s expertise in connecting with young audiences is informed by his career as a Hip Hop musician and spending years studying the wide-ranging and highly influential culture. He also led the organizing for The Defender’s historic Basketball Park Takeover.
Formerly, he was Co-Founder of Black-led Abolitionist organization Black Rainbow, and was also on the front-lines of Kansas City’s 2020 uprisings.
Lynnie Holl
Senior Reporter
Lynnie Holl is an aspiring short-story writer whose works focuses on self-reflection, navigating childhood, and overcoming circumstances. Lynnie is currently at work in completing two short stories titled “My Blind, Blue Eye”, a story of young vibrant girl who loses her confidence after going blind in one eye and “Pork Skins and a Trench Lighter”, a story of a young man and his uncle traveling through small towns in Oklahoma as they head back from a vacation.
As a Compliance Analyst by day, Lynnie finds time to write during their free time and enjoy the ambiance of coffee shops while doing so.
