Boston– Kishana Osei, an advocate for survivors and a leading voice for racial equity in the anti-violence movement, has been named a recipient of the 2025 Visionary Voice Award by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).
The honor was presented on April 8 by Jane Doe Inc. (JDI), the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, during a moving ceremony at their Boston office.
Surrounded by colleagues, friends, and fellow advocates, Osei—who serves as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Women of Color Network (MAWOCN)—was celebrated for more than a decade of unwavering dedication to survivor communities and her leadership in addressing the intersections of race, gender, and violence.
“Kishana embodies the vision and voice we need to promote healing and help communities thrive,” said JDI Executive Director Hema Sarang-Sieminski, herself a 2019 Visionary Voice Award recipient. “Her deep commitment to creating access to culturally responsive services for sexual assault survivors is needed now more than ever.”
Osei’s impact is evident across Massachusetts. At MAWOCN, she leads the Keeping Black Survivors Alive (KBSA) cohort—a pioneering alliance of five BIPOC-led organizations from across the state. Under her leadership, the group developed the KBSA Multimedia 40-Hour Culturally Specific Training Toolkit, a first-of-its-kind resource that equips providers with tools to better support and uplift Black survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
“Receiving the Visionary Voice Award from NSVRC and JDI is more than a personal achievement; it is a shared celebration of the communities I serve and the voices I strive to uplift,” Osei said at the event. “This recognition fuels me to do more.”
In addition to her work at MAWOCN, Osei is an Overnight Residential Counselor at REACH Beyond Domestic Violence and was recently named one of the Boston Women’s Fund’s Leading Us Toward Liberation Honorees, spotlighting her as one of 40 changemakers across the city.
The Visionary Voice Awards are presented annually during Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. Honorees are chosen for their innovative contributions to preventing sexual violence and promoting survivor-centered advocacy. Osei joins a distinguished national cohort of awardees who are transforming the landscape of healing and justice.
