Meet Samirah Horton Aka Dj Annie Red

 

We were lucky to catch up with Samirah Horton Aka Dj Annie Red recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Samirah Horton, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I am 16 years old but when I was 6 years old, I was badly bullied. I was bullied because of my raspy voice. I was called names, and I was told I sound like I smoke 10 packs of cigarettes a day. The kids did not allow me to play on their teams. This continued throughout the entire summer camp. I told my parents and together they helped me to understand what bullying is. Everywhere I went, I was criticized for my deep raspy voice. People questioned whether I was a boy or girl. I began to advocate for myself. I wrote a song called “No You Won’t Bully Me.” I then took the song and made a book called “The Bully Stop.” I wanted to have a learning tool in classrooms. Since then, I have traveled the country speaking to kids about the effects kids of bullying. In 2023 I began empowering young kids. As I would speak about bullying, I began to speak about how we all can become change makers. I wrote my second book “Passion, Purpose, Change. This book talks about finding your purpose by doing the talents you already have. I am resilient because of my experiences and I want to teach other young people how to be resilient as well.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Samirah is 16 years old and the CEO and Founder of “You Are Never Too Young To Make a Change.” She is an Award-Winning DJ from Brooklyn, New York. In 2022 she was nominated as one of the Top Five Honorees for Time Kid of the Year. She is the recipient of the Joe Biden, President’s Award. Her books “The Bully Stop” & “Passion Purpose Change” are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
She created a curriculum that combines anti-bullying infused with music and she travels the country speaking and bringing the program to underserved youth. Her mission through “You Are Never Too Young to Make a Change” is to provide direct anti-bullying services, raising self-esteem, education, and support to students, families, and school administrators so that children can learn, grow, and become change makers.
She was the kid resident DJ for the Brooklyn Nets for 4 seasons. She is an ambassador for Nike and Jordan and she is currently working with Spotify for Special Events. She is a keynote speaker on March 29, 2025, for American Counseling Association. She is also preparing for her TEDTalk on April 26, 2025.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three Qualities that were most impactful to me:
Learning to self-advocate
Reading and researching my area of expertise (Bullying)
Understanding that change in many cases come over time and that as a changemaker regardless of the situation we must keep moving forward.

Advice I would give is to show up and give your best in every situation. Whether I am DJing for 18,000 people at the Barclays or whether I am djing for an 8th grade dance I bring my best energy… You never know who is in the audience..

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents showed up and continue to show up in every area of my life. Whether it is was playing a sport, DJing, playing an instrument, public speaking, my parents allowed me to explore. They allowed me to find my voice. Parents showed up and continue to show in every area of my life. When young people are supported and loved in this way they can achieve great things.

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