Kenyona "Sunny" Matthews

Kenyona “Sunny” Matthews loves helping people feel included, respected, and cared for. She’s a motivational speaker who teaches about kindness, fairness, and treating everyone equally, no matter who they are. Her big message is simple: “Affirming the Humanity in Us All.” That means showing love and respect to everyone around us.

Matthews grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, and studied a lot about fairness and justice in school. She went to Guilford College, where she learned about government, philosophy, and African American history. While she was there, she helped start a group to fight racism and organized fun events to teach others about diversity and inclusion. Later, she went to law school at the University of Akron and focused on civil rights.

Matthews has always loved helping people work together. She worked with students in North Carolina to teach them how to help in communities with lots of different cultures. Now she lives in Akron, Ohio, with her family, including her two kids and even a fish!

Matthews talks to schools, businesses, and community groups about how to be kind, include others, and have respectful conversations—even when it’s hard. As a mom, she even wrote a book for parents to help them talk to kids about fairness and treating everyone with respect.

Matthews’ nickname is “Sunny” because she’s full of light and positivity, and she loves sharing that with others.