Dinah Ortiz-Adames

Dinah Ortiz-Adames is an afrolatinx drug user activist who has fought for over 14 years for impacted communities. She is the Associate Director of Community Engagement at the Bronx Defenders, a public defender non-profit radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the justice system. She has also done extensive consultant work as a drug user organiser and activist. Ms. Ortiz-Adames has shared her story of parenting during past chaotic substance use nationally and is a fierce advocate for parents in the child regulation system. She is the co-chair of the NC Survivors Union Board of Directors and a leadership team member of National Survivors Union, the U.S. national drug users union. From working with formerly incarcerated women to working with women with a history of domestic violence, Ms. Ortiz-Adames has tried to give voice to the unheard. She has spoken in a variety of platforms, including presenting on panels as well as serving as a keynote speaker and plenary speaker to educate audiences on PWUD (People Who Use Drugs) and PWLE (People With Lived Experience) to destigmatise and disrupt the narrative.