Molly Pershin Raynor is a poet, therapist, community builder, and momma to Malachi Moon. She has 20 years of experience in education, nonprofit management, mental health, radical philanthropy and community organizing around racial and gender justice. Molly is committed to building a more equitable society—dismantling white supremacy and sexual and gender-based violence—approaching her work from an anti-racist, survivor-led, intersectional feminist framework.

Molly co-founded “RAW Talent” with Donté Clark, now the RYSE Center’s Performing Arts Program, which serves youth in Richmond, California. Her work is highlighted in the documentary film, "Romeo Is Bleeding" which was on Netflix. Molly won a Jefferson Award for Public Service and a Teachers 4 Social Justice Award for her work in the Bay Area.

In 2017, Molly moved home to Michigan, where she received her Master's in Social Work from Eastern Michigan University and co-founded “Staying Power,” a youth arts activism program in Ypsilanti (inspired by the Staying Power collective in Richmond, CA.) She is a limited license social worker, currently practicing in-person and virtual therapy.

After co-founding 2 ventures over the last 2 decades, in 2021 Molly shifted from working on the ground with youth to sharing lessons she’s learned and supporting nonprofit leaders and school founders across the nation. From 2021-2024 she was the Director of Community at 4.0 Schools, a national organization that invests in school and nonprofit founders creating equity solutions with their communities. She is also a freelance consultant, supporting leaders to weave DEIB, anti-zionism and transformative justice practices into their organizations.

Molly's poetry has been featured on NPR and published in several literary magazines, including Vinyl, The Rumpus, Porkbelly Press, and Split Lip Magazine. Her chapbook of poetry, “ZAFTIG,” was published by Fifth Avenue Press in April 2024. She has mentored numerous poets with developing their voices and publishing their work, and she offers 1x1 creative writing workshops and manuscript revision support.

Molly draws inspiration from Audre Lorde, Octavia Butler, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Frida Khalo, and Paulo Freire and from the recipes, jokes, and legacy of her Jewish ancestors. Molly comes from a long line of storytellers and plumbers who taught her how to bend words and weld new worlds.