about me
My name is Dakotah Kennedy (she/her/hers). I am originally from Portland, OR and I moved to Boston, MA in 2015. As a journalist, I want to apply my deep understanding of complex issues within our legal system through community-oriented journalism. I'm currently studying media advocacy and journalism at Northeastern University's College of Arts, Media, and Design.
I am an avid consumer of pop culture and eager to combine my passion for media with my expertise on the criminal legal system. I host my own radio show for Boston Neighborhood Network called Abolish Arkham that asks the question, "What would it take to abolish Arkham Asylum?"
Prior to graduate school, I successfully advanced clemency efforts for youth sentenced as adults, co-founded Oregon’s first poetry slam within a youth correctional facility, and led courthouse-based youth programming. I witnessed first-hand the frustrations that come with navigating systems designed to traumatize and dehumanize people. I carry these experiences with me into everything that I pursue.
why "dakotah's operandi"?
The name "dakotah's operandi" is a play on the phrase "modus operandi" or "M.O." for short. This phrase is commonly used to describe a person's unique mark or "particular way of doing something." Most people probably recognize the phrase from a variety of crime shows and legal dramas- at least, that's where I learned it. When I realized that my name rhymed with 'modus', I instantly felt it captured both my interest in the criminal legal system as well as my "unique mark."
mo·dus op·e·ran·di /ˌmōdəs ˌäpəˈrandē,ˌmōdəs ˌäpəˈrandī
noun. a particular way or method of doing something, especially one that is characteristic or well-established.