Barbara Gunn Lartey is an eclectic, expressive social justice emissary and non-profit executive with a lovingly disruptive message: everyone deserves an autonomous, authentic, dignity-centered life. Period. A survivor of complex trauma, she navigates life with intuitive wisdom sourced to her ancestors.

Barbara’s egalitarian leadership, marked by empathy, resilience, generosity, and humor, is inspired by her global experience, including her role as a bilingual Community Development/Small Business Volunteer with the Peace Corps in Equatorial Guinea; studying Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa; and engaging the irrepressible, hope-inspired spirit of Gazans in the West Bank. Holding a J.D. from Temple University; a B.A. from Oberlin College in Economics with concentrations in Black and Women’s Studies; and a Certificate in Equitable Community Change from Cornell University, Barbara’s commitment to equity, inclusion, belonging, and restorative justice is reflected in her extensive work with diverse populations, including those of us who represent communities of color; are living with HIV; have endured domestic violence; are maligned in the queer community; and challenged by systemic inequity. 

Barbara believes that communities can heal, transform, and thrive by sharing collective spaces in which humanity-centered, courageous conversations can flourish. As the new Program Director for the St. Louis Peacebuilding Program, she aims to foster initiatives aligned with the Quaker belief that everyone embodies the spark of the divine. Barbara is the proud mother of three creative, conscientious, self-actualized adult children who envision a world defined by equity, peace and joy. One of her guiding principles is from the heart of immortal sage Dr. Maya Angelou: People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.