Karen Okra Community Activist, Cultural Leader, Equality Advocate.

Karen Okra is a community activist and cultural leader with extensive experience in arts, heritage, and community engagement. She played a key role in Hull’s successful bid for UK City of Culture 2017 as a candidate on the Derry~Londonderry Panel, and later served as a Director of both the Hull 2017 City of Culture Board and the Freedom Festival Arts Trust.

Her work focuses on promoting racial and gender equality, with a strong commitment to advancing awareness of Black History and Black achievement. Karen actively addresses challenges faced by Black and minority ethnic communities through education, advocacy, and inclusive programming.

She has a particular interest in the history of Trans Atlantic slave trade and Diaspora Studies and collaborates with the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE), the University of Hull, and Hull Museums to support learning and community engagement initiatives.

Karen is an Honorary Fellow of the Wilberforce Institute and a member of the Wilberforce House Advisory Group. Her work is grounded in connecting people, places, and shared histories to create a more inclusive and accessible future