Black History Month Spotlight: Valorie Evans

AYA HOUSE
Feb 3
3 min read

February 3, 2026

Valorie Evans, LMSW, CST, CPS-M, is a Detroit-born therapist, nonprofit founder, mother, and community advocate whose work is unapologetically centered on Black healing, Black love, and Black liberation. Raised on the West Side of Detroit and a graduate of Mumford High School, Valorie brings intention and integrity to everything she does.

Valorie describes herself as a woman committed to fully experiencing life, guided by faith, purpose, and God’s blessings. Her areas of focus include women’s reproductive and womb health, mental wellness, and creating meaningful opportunities for Black youth and families. Travel and exploration are woven throughout her work, reinforcing her belief that learning and growth happen everywhere.

Her connection to Aya House began through trusted relationships. Knowing several women already in the community, Valorie trusted their judgment and alignment. As a Black woman navigating entrepreneurship, nonprofit leadership, and community changemaking, she was seeking like-minded people. Aya House passed the vibe check and quickly became a space where she could build, connect, and grow.

Valorie’s definition of wellness is both practical and profound. Wellness, she explains, is a never-ending process. Just as the body needs food every day, wellness requires daily attention. For her, being well means having needs met across all areas of life, mental, physical, financial, social, and spiritual, while still holding space for joy.

Her work contributes to Black life, love, and legacy in intentional ways. Through her nonprofit, The Brown Explorers, Valorie serves Black youth and their families exclusively, creating culturally affirming opportunities for learning and growth. Through her mental health practice, Upsurge Counseling and Consulting, she provides decolonized therapy for Black individuals and families, offering care that affirms their power without forcing them to conform to European frameworks of thinking or functioning. Her consulting work also centers organizations that primarily serve Black communities.

Valorie draws inspiration from Black history makers who show up boldly and unapologetically in white spaces. Among them is Muhammad Ali, whose confidence, truth, and refusal to shrink continue to resonate. She is also deeply inspired by the youth she works with, many of whom demonstrate advanced self-awareness around mental health, boundaries, and care.

Black love, for Valorie, is deeply personal and expansive. It is loving her Black partner and her four Black children, showing up consistently for their lives, and making love an action through presence, support, and intention. It is also extending care beyond her family, showing up for community, offering knowledge freely, playing the auntie role, and loving without expectation of return.

The Aya House oath resonates deeply with Valorie, particularly the commitment to honoring Detroit’s Black leadership and advancing those ideals beyond the space. Inspired by mentors who once championed her, she feels a responsibility to offer that same support to others. She believes in abundance, collaboration, and making room for everyone to win.

Although a newer member, Valorie is already envisioning Aya House as the launchpad for her first book and a space where powerful work for girls and women will unfold. She is also expanding her advocacy around reproductive health, informed by her lived experience with fibroids and medical mistreatment, and preparing for doula training in April 2026. Through The Brown Explorers, she is entering the organization’s fourth year with a focus on strengthening infrastructure, funding, and sustainability.

When asked what she would tell someone considering membership or sponsorship, Valorie keeps it honest. Get in there and try it out. If it’s not for you, don’t renew.

Valorie Evans embodies the truth that Black wellness, Black love, and Black liberation are daily practices. At Aya House, her work and vision are part of the history still being written.