Yvette Mora
Crisis Responder, Khadafy Washington Project
ymora@youthalive.org | (510) 594-2588 x310
Crisis Responder Yvette Mora brings comfort and urgent aid to families of Oakland homicide victims. Yvette grew up in the Acorn, in West Oakland. It’s an area rich in history, and many Oakland families have deep roots there. But it is also a place that has seen more than its share of violence and upheaval in the past three decades. Yvette has been touched by it closely. She watched a cousin bleed to death in his bed at Highland Hospital. She saw another cousin shot to death at his own birthday party. In the aftermath of those killings, she also witnessed the healing aid Marilyn Harris brought. Harris founded the Khadafy Washington Project (named for her murdered son), which is the Youth ALIVE! program Yvette now works in. KWP Crisis Responders step into the aftermath of homicides in Oakland to offer vital help in a family’s time of greatest grief, shock and fear. Yvette says she sees a lot of pain in her work, but loves hearing about the successes of grieving families in moving forward, especially when there are children involved. But that’s not why she does the job. “I have a passion for what I do and enjoy assisting others,” she says, “however, nobody wakes up excited about having to deal with homicides. I do what I do because I love my city and want to be part of the movement. I want to help make a change. There’s something within me that enables me to do so and has me hungry for getting involved with the community.”