About Us
Transformative Action for North Kingstown (TANK) is an organization made up of local Rhode Island students, teachers, parents, and allies dedicated to enacting antiracist policies in North Kingstown. We engage in the work of opposing racism because we believe that people should not be judged by the color of their skin. There has been ample evidence, throughout our nation and even within our town, that people are too often judged and found to be wanting because of the color of their skin, because they practice a different faith, because of who they love, because of how they identify, because they are differently abled, and because of any other number of reasons that allow the uneducated voice or the malignant voice to single them out as lesser. We believe that our town is better than that. We work to make North Kingstown a community that values every resident, and treats all with decency, honor and kindness.
Meet the Team
The Faces Of Our Executive Board
Jennifer Lima (she/her)
Founder and President
Lima was inspired to start this group after seeing a similar group in a nearby community enact change in their school department by raising awareness of racial issues within their town. As a long time North Kingstown resident and mother of four children educated within the NK school district Lima recently ran for and was elected to the North Kingstown School committee and is looking forward to advancing diversity and equity in this position, oh and is a sucker for a big slobbery dog.
Tracy Wilkinson (she/her)
Treasurer
Wilkinson is a qualified accountant, having trained with PriceWaterhouse Coopers in the UK and identifies as a serial volunteer. She has been involved with Boy Scouts – as a den leader and as merit badge counsellor for Troop 152; took on treasurer of St Paul’s Church in Wickford in the midst of the pandemic; has been treasurer of the LINKS (Laymen in North Kingstown Schools) Board, where she is now employed and helped many of the school PTO’s become registered 501c3 charities whilst acting as their treasurers. She also teaches water fitness at URI and can often be found on deck or in the water singing and working out.
Kahlia Shmerer (she/her)
Secretary
Bio coming soon!