Publisher, Kansas City Defender

Ryan Sorrell

Ryan has a diverse background including working at one of the nation's most esteemed Black think tanks, one of Chicago's top Tech PR agencies, a top 3 global PR firm, and founded one of Kansas City's largest Black-led Abolitionist direct action groups during the 2020 uprisings. He was a key organizer in the October 2021, 21 day occupation on the grounds of Kansas City's City Hall following the horrific brutalization of a 9-month pregnant Black woman by a KCPD officer, and formerly, he was temporarily suspended from his college at Loyola University of Chicago for organizing the largest social justice demonstration in university history, before being pardoned by the President in the university's first ever pardon resulting from national outcry about the situation.

During Ryan's professional career he's consulted brands such as Facebook, Samsung, Amazon and Google. He is a recipient of the Civil and Human Rights Award recognized by the Urban League of Kansas City, Innovator of the Year by the Local Media Association, and Emerging Leader of the Year from the Institute for Nonprofit News. He has engaged in a number of public talks as a prison industrial complex Abolitionist thinker including on; DemocracyNow, NPR, PBS, a Kansas City Art Institute Lecture, a lecture at University of the Arts London, as well as the Annual International Symposium.

Most recently he founded the nation's fastest growing Black nonprofit digital news startup and community organization, The Kansas City Defender. Under Ryan's leadership the Black-led organization has broken over 20 national news stories, reaching over 50 million people and growing a social media following of over 85,000 across platforms since its launch in 2021.