Providing a Voice for the Systemically Suppressed With Erykah Pasha ’24 on the ‘’Cuse Conversations’ Podcast
From an early age, Erykah Pasha ’24 has been driven to help provide a voice for those who have been systematically oppressed and suppressed in their community.
Originally when Pasha enrolled, they felt passionately that becoming a lawyer was the best way to bring about change in their community. But Pasha soon realized the legal field wasn’t for them, and instead, set their sights on earning dual degrees in political science and sociology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences.
Since embarking on this journey, Pasha credits the University for providing them with the resources and, more importantly, the opportunities to effect change. Included in those efforts are Pasha’s involvement with a local organization, Layla’s Got You. The organization educates women of color about reproductive and sexual wellness issues while engaging with a community that often feels neglected, Pasha says.

“Syracuse just always seemed like it was going to be the place for me to go, and since I started going here, it’s clear that was the right choice for me,” Pasha says. “My education has allowed me to improve my own engagement with my community here in the City of Syracuse.”
When they graduate, Pasha plans on assisting marginalized communities and citizens through policy and political engagement.
This summer, Pasha is participating in a highly competitive and prestigious public affairs experience, serving as a research assistant at the University of Michigan through the Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP). Pasha will assist Lydia Kelow-Bennett, assistant professor of Afroamerican and African studies at the University of Michigan, on a book proposal on Black women in popular culture.
On this “’Cuse Conversation,” Pasha, a Kessler Scholar and McNair Scholar, discusses their research, how they hopes to create change through this summer experience and how they found their voice through their time on campus.
As Pride Month is celebrated across the country, Pasha, who identifies as queer, shares how both the Intercultural Collective and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Resource Center play a pivotal role in their development as a campus leader and how the programs and engagement efforts offered through the LGBTQ Resource Center created a home-away-from-home atmosphere.
Check out episode 141 of the “’Cuse Conversations” podcast featuring Pasha. A transcript [PDF] is also available.