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Gabrielle Zwi

Gabrielle Zwi is a community organizer, educator, and musician based in Rockville, Maryland. They graduated from from Columbia University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Rights, and as a Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program student. Gabrielle advises a local youth organization called DC Teens Action, and serves as a Commissioner on the Human Rights Commission of the City of Rockville, and as a Public Representative on Montgomery County's Committee Against Hate/Violence.

As a singer-songwriter, they have released an album and several singles, and regularly perform in concerts, protests, and other events throughout the region. Gabrielle strives to make activism accessible and to amplify underrepresented voices through music as well as more conventional forms of advocacy.

They are a Jewish Brazilian-American and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and they have Autism Spectrum Disorder along with other disabilities that have played an integral role in their creative, advocacy, and nonprofit work. ⁠

Testimonials

"We hired Gabrielle as a guest speaker to present virtually to our community of Moms at MotherNation. They were easy to work with, communicative, curious, and professional in the planning stages. When the event came, they were brought energy, enthusiasm, intelligence and thoughtfulness to the answering questions on a broad range of climate topics, including - graciously - how we can raise our kids to be as activated in social justice as they are! I highly recommend working with Gabrielle."

- Annie Bacon, former Community Manager of MotherNation

Past Speaking Engagements 
(Click here for a list of Gabrielle's past musical performances)

  • Co-presented "Inclusive Cities: Evaluating LGBTQ+ Ordinances, Policies, and Services" session at Maryland Municipal League Summer Conference (June 2024)

  • Host/Emcee of The City of Rockville's Annual LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration (June 2022, 2023, and 2024)

  • Co-hosted SPELLERS film screening with Flutie Foundation and Communication 4 All, and moderated Q&A panel with the cast (November 2023 and January 2024)

  • Panelist on "Trans Rights in K-12 Education Policy and Practice" panel discussion, part of Georgetown University's Education and Equity Speaker Series (March 2023)

  • Co-Presented "Farming with a social purpose: Providing meaningful employment in an inclusive and innovative farming environment" at Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Neurodiversity in the Workplace Conference (March 2023)

  • 5 teaching artist residencies, 2 school assemblies, and 30+ workshops at MCPS elementary schools on Songwriting for Democracy with The Civic Circle (2022-2023)

  • Presented "Social Media for Care Farms" workshop at Care Farming Network's March 2023 Monthly Member Gathering

  • "Take Your Power Back Through Writing" panel at Do the Write Thing's annual Changemakers Workshop (July 2022) 

  • Panelist on The City of Rockville's Virtual Pride Event: Panel on Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth (June 2022)

  • Led "Inclusion and Access for Disabled Students" Workshop at The City of Rockville's Annual IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility) Training for High School Student Leaders (April 2022)

  • Co-led Student Advocacy workshop and Healthy Relationships workshop at Keshet East Coast Shabbaton (April 2022) 

  • Columbia University Disability Justice Liaison, trained by CU's Office of Multicultural Affairs (2021-2022)

  • 10+ presentations and workshops led as Keshet's Community Mobilization Intern (2021-2022)

  • 20+ presentations and workshops led as DC Teens Action's Founder and Lead Organizer, facilitated 10+ students in leading their own presentations and workshops (2018-2022)

  • “Organizing Student and Community Protests” workshop at SMYAL’s Rise Up Conference (July 2021)

  • Host/Moderator of The City of Rockville's Virtual Pride Event: Panel on Coming Out in Your Religious and Cultural Communities (June 2021)

  • "Advocacy in Action: Achieving Youth-Led Change" keynote and “Existence is Resistance: Surviving and Thriving in Unprecedented Times” workshop at Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools Gender & Sexual Orientation Diversity Conference (March 2021)

  • "Saving the Earth With Your Kids" presentation for MotherNation, on behalf of Zero Hour (April 2021)

  • Community Enrichment Project DC's Summer Speaker Series: Youth Organizers (July 2020)

  • Zero Hour's #GettingToTheRoots of Ableism Webinar (May 2020)

  • Led "Representation in Media" Workshop at The City of Rockville's Annual IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility) Training for High School Student Leaders (April 2019)

  • “Building Solidarity Across Movements and Issues” panel at Move to Amend National Leadership Summit (June 2018)

  • NPR “All Things Considered” broadcast (March 22nd, 2018)

  • 20+ presentations and workshops led as USY's International Social Action Engagement Chair and as Seaboard USY's Social Action/Tikun Olam VP, facilitated 15+ students in leading their own presentations and workshops (2016-2018)

  • Led Songwriting Workshop at the Northern Virginia Writing Project's Student Summer Institute (July 2016)

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Highlighted Musical Performances: various environmental protection, public health, and gun safety-related rallies and marches; Opening ceremony for Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture with Voices of Tomorrow Choir; Carnegie Hall Honors Performance Series Junior International Choir; Rockville City Pride Celebration; Rockville Science Day; DC Music Rocks Festival at The 9:30 Club; Project HERA Music Festival; Takoma Park Folk Festival; Montgomery County Fair; Arlington County Fair; BlackRock Center for the Arts;  Songbyrd Music House in DC; MilkBoy ArtHouse; All The Feels Mental Health Variety Show at Union Stage; The Center for Contemporary Political Art; Artists for Impact Benefit Show; Power to the Queer Kids Benefit Show; Sofar Sounds in Sorocaba, Brazil; Columbia University Brazilian Jazz Ensemble

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