Who is Dearest?

“We can laugh but also be serious about social change. They are not planning to tell us when the Revolution will begin.” ~Dearest

Yolanda Dearest Price, M.Ed, grew up in Long Island, New York. She followed her passion for teaching, attending Howard University and later earning a History and Africana Studies Degree from Stony Brook University. She went on to receive a Masters Degree in Education from Arcadia University. Teaching for over 20 years in several inner city public schools, including Philadelphia, Camden and Baltimore, she gained a reputation for her uniqueness. She wasn't afraid to advocate for her children and social injustice. Walking her students home from school or helping parents with grocery shopping was commonplace and made her influential in the communities she served. Some of her accomplishments include being awarded "Teacher of the Year" in Camden, New Jersey, being honored for her teaching abilities by a State Senator, Founder of "The Chainbreakers Project Inc., distinguished author of such works as "Disguised As God", CEO of Agape Voice Publishing LLC, Co-Owner of Black Line News but most important, the mother of two dynamic children.

Dearest, as she is most commonly known, had tremendous challenges on the road to victory. She married a man that was sentenced to 11 years in a Federal Correctional Institution for a non-violent drug offense. This ultimately was all too familiar working in the city school system. She noticed that over 50% of her students were impacted by incarceration. They either had a parent or loved one in prison, so she tried to incorporate her experiences with the penal system as teachable moments in the classroom. Unfortunately, many in the public school system were not ready to deal with these social ills and this lead to the end of her stellar teaching career. From that point on she knew that she would concentrate on social advocacy.

Dearest, formulated the Chain-Breakers Project Inc. to combate mass incarceration. This non-profit organization was created to serve the child, the convicted and the community impacted by social injustice through meaningful hands on, community service. She then began to write. She wrote everything from term papers to blogs. This opened the door to books and she wanted to give others the same opportunity. That's how Agape Voice was founded. But wealth from books was slow to come yet through partnerships she became the Co-founder of Black Line News. Under the premise that "there is enough abundance for us all" Black Line News was birthed. It consisted of a group of bloggers, writers, authors, advocates, community organizers and business owners all trying to make local areas strong through words.

Dearest Price, lives comfortably, with her two children, fighting the good fight for injustice. She is a local preacher and continues to write to make changes in the communities she serves