The legacy of slavery damaged the Black community’s belief in ourselves, our health, and our creative ways of thinking. Without relevant education, support, or ritual tied to nature and spirit, we rarely recognize the full extent of our worth and humanity. As the Executive Director of Fund II Foundation, founded by philanthropist Robert F. Smith, I’m in the trenches with a team transforming the BIPOC experience. We CONVENE like-minded, like-hearted groups, EDUCATE individuals in an interactive format, and AMPLIFY messages of hope and success. We’ve awarded over $260 million in grants to nonprofits focused on 5 pillars: Preserving the African-American Experience, Human Rights & Counteracting Injustices, Outdoor Education, Music Education, and Sustaining American Values & Technology. Our North Star is authentic collaborations, metrics off the chart, and scalability that reaches deep and wide. This work started for me as a young girl. I realized my parents were affected by the death of my brother. It seemed relentlessly dark in our home and I intuitively wanted to bring laughter, joy, and love back into our lives. As we brought back ritual into our lives – like music, planting, and dancing – there were still dark, gray days but with rays of sunshine that peeked through until eventually, we reclaimed our family's light. If I can alleviate any person's pain, I will. Naturally, I became a human rights activist and often encountered people who tried to squash my light because of racism, dogmatism, and fear. I decided to honor truth and collect tools to help Black and Brown communities blossom. I found many teachers including mythology, nature, and interfaith philosophies … which help me forge authentic collaborations that represent love in action. Today, I use these tools to design initiatives at Fund II Foundation, like: ✊🏽 Restoration Retreat, providing environment-based coaching, mentoring, and wellness for inner-city young Black men and women✊🏽 internXL.org, uniquely designed to match culturally aware companies with historically overlooked and underestimated students✊🏽 Black Maternal Health Equity, supporting Black families before, during, and after birth with a focus on US Southern communitiesMy goal is to inspire a good life and legacy for as many people as possible – especially those grappling with life challenges. I guide others by modeling and TRY not to preach too often (despite being an ordained minister!) I'm here on LinkedIn to share our stories and give wise counsel as you advance your work in the world.