Yavilah McCoy

Who is Yavilah McCoy?

Yavilah McCoy, an African-American Jew, is the founder of Ayecha, a nonprofit organization providing educational resources for Jewish Diversity and advocacy for Jews of Color in the United States. She is a teacher, writer, editor, and diversity consultant. She has taught Judaic studies, Hebrew, and English literature in elementary and secondary schools.

In 2008, after directing Ayecha for eight years, Yavilah assumed the New England directorship of The Curriculum Initiative, a non-profit educational consultancy that serviced close to 600 prep schools across the nation. Within TCI, McCoy worked to expand awareness of Jewish identity and culture and empower students to contextualize their Jewish journeys within the framework of leadership, citizenship, and pursuit of excellence in education. Through her directorship of Dimensions Educational Consulting, Yavilah now works to expand awareness of the impact of identity and culture on partnership and community building within healthcare, education and social justice. In her spare time, Yavilah enjoys teaching and performing her family’s legacy of Jewish Gospel.

In 2009, Yavilah McCoy co-wrote and performed “The Colors of Water,” an original theatrical piece that tells the story of the four generations of her African-American Jewish family, as part of Mayyim Hayyim’s Living Waters International Mikveh Conference in Newton, Massachusetts.