Black Nonprofit Leadership in Dallas

Compiled by Dallas Doing Good Editorial Team.

Long before there were social entrepreneurs and nonprofit executives, there have been people serving the community. But today, in 2020, the nonprofit sector has an opportunity to look, listen, and shift the systems that have created racial inequity across the resources, funding, and capacity that makes serving the community possible in our current environment. Dallas Doing Good asked black leaders in nonprofit and social good to share how you can best support them and the causes they champion.

VETERAN WOMEN’S ENTERPRISE CENTER
VR Small, Executive Director

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?
The Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center is not just a Center, but the center for women veteran business success. If you’re interested in supporting women veteran business owners toward self-sufficiency; business growth and real economic impact, connect with us as a volunteer (board leadership/client mentor/coach/trainer/guest speaker); become a collaborative partner on an internal business development or growth project; and/or become a financial sponsor.

We also have on-going opportunities to support special IT, marketing, accounting, HR, legal, and research projects as we grow this national initiative.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?
Did you know? Women Veteran Owned Businesses (WVOBs) grew from 4% of all veteran owned businesses to 15.7%, reflecting nearly 400,000 new businesses. During this same period, they out paced the fasted growing segment of women owned businesses in general. Female Veteran Entrepreneurs are a diverse group of women that cuts across almost every race and age group, making us a haven for true diversity.

Female focused co-working has emerged as a multi-million dollar industry for new investments. And the Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center, more commonly known as VWEC), is a national initiative launched in southern Dallas, that has taken this multi-million dollar concept to the next level—serving those who have served us.

The VWEC provides sponsors, partners and female Veteran Entrepreneurs the opportunity to get connected to a collaborative entrepreneur ecosystem, with the vision of positioning WVOBs as our nation’s leading revenue generators and employees.

Launching the VWEC in this proven multi-million dollar industry isn’t our only value. The VWEC offers a dynamic opportunity for those who connect to have a measurable social impact. Helping a female Veteran Entrepreneur grow her business and become self-sufficient–strengthens our family structures, enhances support to our communities and ultimately drives our nation’s economy. At the VWEC, we’re not just building business: we’re nation building—and so can you, if you get connected!

Youth Revive
Adrian McConnell, Founder

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?
These are trying times, yet there is hope. Youth Revive continues to forge forward despite various unforeseen challenges. We do civic education with high school students. Moving our programming virtually has brought about its ups and downs. COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to further our reach, yet many of our locally targeted youth don’t have access to WiFi hotspots and laptops. As we prepare for virtual summer programming, people can support our organization by providing WiFi hotspots and laptops so we can connect with more black and brown youth. We don’t want technology to hinder participation. This will help Youth Revive close the Civic Empowerment Gap. Often valuable civic education and empowerment opportunities are unequally distributed, leaving minority youth the least prepared to participate compared to wealthier white youth. If we want to see change in societal issues such as police brutality and racial profiling, disparities in civic knowledge, civic disposition, civic motivation, and civic skills cannot continue. The gap must be closed and technology can help.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?
Youth in low-income communities are more susceptible to poor character choices than youth in healthier communities. Healthier communities often have more civic empowerment, strong character and civic education in schools, and engagement of the church. Youth Revive’s project based learning, Ignite Me Action Civics Curriculum, seeks to bridge this gap by providing character and civic education in schools to help close the civic empowerment gap for youth in low-income communities. Through these services, students become character-driven revivalists, meaning students who want to rebuild, reconnect, and revive their community. This will ultimately lead to students becoming active and caring community citizens.

TR Hoover Community Development Corporation
Sherri Mixon, Executive Director

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?
We need donations to purchase needed supplies to support programs and data collection software to help us manage the collected data from programs and services. T.R. Hoover’s mission is to strengthen, empower, and provide holistic, collaborative services that impact the South Dallas community through affordable housing, economic, and community development. We advocate and address the issues of poverty, economic divestment, blight, infrastructure decline, neighborhood safety, and the rising levels of unemployment.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?
We are currently running programs through a drive up service that are currently seeing 370 clients a week. We are working with limited resources and can benefit from in-kind donations, volunteers who can help with social media and marketing campaigns.

Bishop Arts Theater Center
Teresa Coleman Wash, Executive Artistic Director/Founder

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?
Bishop Arts Theatre Center was founded in the belief that theatre has a unique power to illuminate the human experience. We are committed to exploring the most urgent human and social issues of our time, and to blend literature, design and performance in ways that test the bounds of theatre’s artistic possibilities. We advance the art of theatre in service of our community and extend that service through educational and community engagement programs that harmonize with our artistic mission. We need help establishing cash reserves to sustain this work. Please donate at https://secure.givelively.org/donate/teco-theatrical-productions-inc.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?
We all know the nonprofit model has been broken for years—it was a train wreck waiting to happen. The Dallas philanthropic community understands all too well the need for maintaining their endowments. Why haven’t they helped establish cash reserves for nonprofit arts groups? Because of systemic racism and implicit bias, before COVID-19, our theatre was intentional and strategic about diversifying our income, but this pandemic has left us incredibly vulnerable. Women of color who lead grassroots nonprofits receive only .6% of philanthropic dollars ( https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/19/opinion/philanthropy-black-women.html) so two months of PPP protection is woefully insufficient during a global pandemic with no end in sight. The civil unrest we are experiencing in this country is a manifestation of pent up frustrations with systemic oppression that has infiltrated every facet of our society. My hopes and concerns for the future of the theatre industry is to dismantle business as usual, one that I hope never returns.

First Step Community Empowerment
Dr. Ralph Adams, Chief of Business & Workforce Development

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?
First, we are always searching for employment opportunities for dislocated workers and justice-involved individuals. Second, we are in need of monetary contributions to handle the increased demand for unemployed individuals seeking employment. FSCE’s mission is to address societal ills and social equity with viable resources on a case-by-case basis. FSCE strives to exceed all expectations by providing quality workforce development services for unemployed/underemployed individuals, dislocated workers, and justice-involved persons with comprehensive job placement assistance, social/economic development, capacity building, and resource referrals. 

INNOVAN NEIGHBORHOODS
Maggie J. Parker, OWNER

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?
Innovan Neighborhoods is a real estate development and consulting firm focused on community-oriented projects in the DFW area. Specifically, I help community anchored organizations—schools, churches, neighborhood associations—move their real estate projects forward. You all can support this work directly by considering impact investments in projects that help move equitable development forward. Indirectly, advocating for long-term solutions to affordable/workforce housing and affordable spaces for small businesses to thrive are key to long-term stability and revitalization of distressed neighborhoods.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?
As non-Black individuals and organizations look to support the Black community during this time, please remember that tangible actions are key to moving the needle beyond words and conversations. Find ways that you can serve that address long-term systematic racism in your community.

Interfaith Family Services
Kimberly Williams, Chief Executive Officer

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?

Interfaith Family Services exists to empower families in crisis to break the cycle of poverty. Year after year, those families have two things in common. They are primarily headed by women who are single mothers and 90% consist of families of color, with most being Black. We exclusively serve the working poor, which means that the adults we serve have an extensive work history but struggle to achieve lasting stability due to low-wages, the absence of benefits/leave, lack of affordable childcare, and lay-offs. Now, COVID-19 has exacerbated these issues. Additionally, many of the single mothers that Interfaith serves endure additional stress related to the future and safety of their children in face of the social issues brought to light by the recent murder of George Floyd. What can you do to empower and support these families? As the CEO of Interfaith Family Services, I get this question often and in response, I typically suggest one of these three things on behalf of those I serve.

1. Those in the political sector can ensure that Dallas’ housing strategy increases the availability of affordable and equitable housing options for its working-class citizens in all four quadrants of Dallas. The essential workers who serve the citizens of Dallas so faithfully each day should also be able to live in the neighborhoods where they work.

2. Those in the private sector can pay their front-line and entry-level staff a living wage and ensure the availability of benefits and leave. COVID-19 has shown us that, people of color, who make up most essential workers and are at the greatest risk for contracting the disease also lack the health insurance and medical leave necessary to keep them healthy.

3. As individuals, we can do one of three things: Financially support local organizations, like Interfaith Family Service, with a proven history of fighting poverty. Vote for those who support legislation that levels the playing field for the working poor. Employ workers at a reasonable wage.

If each of us would use our influence, large and small, to eliminate inequity and empower the underprivileged, the world would be a better place.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?
It is very important that we publicly show our solidarity with those who protest against injustice and inequity. Silence signals apathy regarding these issues. But it is more important that we privately take the steps and do the work, day in and day out, to eliminate poverty, injustice, and inequity. Inaction perpetuates the issue instead of resolving it. Therefore, we encourage you to both speak and act.

Empowering the Masses
Tammy Johnson, Founder and Executive Director

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?

Individuals can support our organization and the communities we serve by supporting our food pantry. We are currently in need of a cargo van to transport our food for our weekly food pantry.

There is also a need for volunteers to serve as coaches in our virtual professionalism sessions.

We work also with Dolphin Heights Neighborhood Association (DHNA) to achieve a vision of a crime, drug, and gang free Dolphin Heights. The purpose is to act as a community connection that will revitalize the neighborhood, instill a strong sense of community pride and togetherness, seek a higher standard of safety, and promote leadership and education.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?

This organization was created from a place of personal experience. I was a child who knew all too well what it meant to be hungry and could not wait to get to school for breakfast and lunch, but often had no food when I returned home. I was also a teenage mother who was able to move from poverty to a living wage all because of a nonprofit organization that allowed me the opportunity to receive middle skills training. Because of that training I was able to care for my child and move out of poverty. The generational curse was broken all because of an opportunity that was presented to me. I now aim to do the same for each person form our community that we are allowed to serve.

Girly Shop Teacher
Tami Gamble-Gurnell

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?
Girly Shop Teacher, LLC is in need of funding, specifically to renovate our existing property, invest in various tools and equipment, and provide sponsorship for students—both youth and adults—for access to our Content Creator Gallery. Our initiative also includes a Virtual Learning Library that will have a global impact for anyone interested in the construction trades. We are looking for investors to seed a Black, woman-owned business based in an Opportunity Zone located in the heart of NE Oak Cliff. This advocacy will not only help our needs for the physical building, but will also BUILD something that doesn’t currently exist in this, or any other, adjacent community. Our goal is to BUILD lives that will help BUILD a better future for us all!

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?
Girly Shop Teacher is grateful for the support and attention we’ve already received from Dallas Doing Good. We hope to continue to “do good” in our community!

Dallas City Hall
Denita Lacking-Quinn, Outreach Specialist/MWBE Liaison at City of Dallas

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?

As a Business Outreach Specialist for the City of Dallas Office of Business Diversity (OBD), the community can support our department by allowing us to assist them in building sustainable business models and partnering with us to help the “Do Business with the City of Dallas”. The Dallas OBD is committed to serving the small business community/business service organization through various resources through the City, County, and State that can help entrepreneurs through every phase of their business. The primary responsibilities of our department are to assist with Opportunity Creation, Diversity Compliance, and Build Capacity with the City of Dallas.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?: The City of Dallas is collaborating with over 200 local business service organizations, building an ecosystem to provide accountability and transparency to support and sustain small businesses. We are hosting one on one meetings every Thursday at 9 am – 3 pm via Skype, Microsoft Teams or conference calls to serve the small business community.

Miles of Freedom
Richard Miles, Founder, President/CEO

How can people support your organization and the community you serve? 
I am Founder, President/CEO of Miles of Freedom with a mission to assist individuals, families and communities impacted by incarceration. I would say people can assist our organization by doing the following:

1. Being open to challenge preconceived thoughts are mental constructs about people and communities struggling to rebuild their lives after incarceration.
2. Understand the amount of service delivery for individuals impacted by incarceration needed to consistently reduce recidivism.
3. Support a reputable grassroots organization that has a proven track record of direct case management/program service delivery.
4. Always understanding our work can’t de done without volunteer support, in-kind and financial support.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?
We appreciate the opportunity to be a part of Dallas Doing Good. One of the narratives not highlighted as much is the work of small grassroots nonprofit movements. A lot of the work done in the community isn’t known and that’s due to marketing capacity and resources to get their message out. I truly believe these movements are the foundation of our community and when we support, encourage and highlight them others will see “Dallas Doing Good.”

AES Literacy Institute
Jermaine and ShaKimberly Cooper, Founders

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?

AES Literacy Institute accepts various forms of support. Currently, ALI has made the pivot to an online curriculum in order to continue to provide services to our students. Funding is desperately needed to continue operations and help students receive services, as well as the technology necessary to complete distance learning courses. Most of our students are low-income, disadvantaged individuals that lack technology, internet access, or both. The donation of laptops and/or tablets will help remove the barrier some students face. Other technology items such as WiFi access and portable hotspots are greatly appreciated. Official high school equivalency testing vouchers will allow students the opportunity to take exams and earn their TxCHSE at little or no cost. During the pandemic we must ship textbooks and materials to students. Any assistance or information in this would be appreciated as well.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience? 

Here at ALI we focus on individuals that did not graduate high school and help put them on a path to success. The mission of AES Literacy Institute is to motivate under-educated, underprivileged adult learners to obtain the education and career training necessary to be self-sufficient; we will create clear pathways to new opportunities that help restore dignity and improved quality of life for themselves, their families, and the community. We offer a variety of services to help create a wrap around program that covers educational and career training to help individuals build a strong foundation and secure employment.

ALI’s lease expired June 2020 and we have relocated to a smaller location for the time being due to COVID-19 that would allow us to gauge the situation before committing to another long term lease. ALI seeks an affordable office space of at least 1,200 square feet with a monthly cap of $1,200, donated office space and/or a building is welcome and encouraged. ALI is a 501(c)3 organization and all donations are tax deductible.

New Friends New Life
Kim Robinson, CEO

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?

New Friends New Life (NFNL) is committed to moving forward through the COVID-19 crisis to make sure that we are fulfilling our mission to restore and empower trafficking survivors. The pandemic has created an added burden of emotional and economic loss that we must help survivors through. 

Right now our members have an even greater need for food, toiletries, and all basic necessities of life, since many of them are out of work, had their hours cut, or simply weren’t able to make their shift due to limits of transportation and funds to get there. Here are the top ways the community can help NFNL right now:

1) Financial support is critical during this time. Our organization is facing a loss in potential revenue due to the limited ability to hold in-person events to raise funds this year. Even for those who may feel as though they do not have a lot to give, a gift of any size will make a difference in our ability to respond to this crisis. 

2) We also have an ongoing list of needs that we share on our website at newfriendsnewlife.org/covid19 – this includes everything from food to cleaning products to self-care items like journals and materials our women can use in their virtual sessions with counselors. There’s even an Amazon wish list that allows individuals to donate without leaving their home. 

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?

Our crucial challenge right now is to mitigate the economic and emotional setbacks our brave women and girls are facing, helping them stay connected and on-track with their journey toward restoration and empowerment. We don’t want them to suffer setbacks due to loss of income, housing, stability, or being able to come to our office and receive counseling. They are extremely vulnerable to traffickers right now, who are highly adept at capitalizing on their economic hardship and luring them into porn and other forms of commercial sex activities as a means to survive this sudden setback. 

The women, teens, and children in our care are directly impacted by COVID-19. Many members are not able to quarantine in a safe physical location, and the isolation and lack of control of daily activities during shelter-in-place is reminiscent of many members’ experiences when they were trafficked, causing intense emotional and mental triggers. The survivors we serve depend on NFNL not only for our counseling, case management, and economic empowerment programs, but for access to food, daily hygiene products, and a safe space while transitioning from exploitation to independence. 

The sudden disruption of this access to a stable resource places our members at risk for adverse effects on their mental health, economic instability, and physical safety. In the first week of non-essential business closures almost 25% of active membership lost jobs or had their work shifts drastically reduced. These women and girls need emergency financial aid, counseling, and tangible resources from NFNL in order to survive, access shelter away from traffickers or abusers, remain in stable housing, and support their children while trying to find new jobs – ultimately reducing their risk of being coerced or forced back into sex trafficking and exploitation. Especially as a staggering increase in online sexual exploitation has been reported since the beginning of the shelter-in-place orders, our ability to maintain contact with our members and continue providing restorative support is critical. 

During the COVID-19 crisis, NFNL has provided front-line and virtual services including: 

• Virtual HIPAA-compliant counseling, case management, emergency financial planning and job application support 

• Virtual group classes for job skills and financial literacy 

• Virtual and phone case management and safety planning with youth ensuring connections to safe shelter, education plans and job application support when needed 

We distributed over 300 Care Kits in less than one month. Our Women’s Program is facilitating an average of 60 virtual counseling sessions, 30 case management meetings and 25 financial/job coaching sessions weekly. Our YRC is facilitating an average of 40 individual case management check-ins and 2 processing groups weekly. By continuing these services, we are helping our members maintain stability on their journey to healing, avoid abuse and exploitation, and mitigate the economic and mental effects of this pandemic. We have been able to maintain contact with 97% of our members during a time of social distancing, which is a testament to our dedicated staff and to the commitment of our members to create a new life for themselves and their families. 

Redeemed Women
Aelicia Watson, Founder & Executive Director

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?
People can link arms with us by collecting family size toiletries of any kind to drop off or we schedule a pickup. We have an Amazon wishlist that can be found directly on our website and everything ships directly. People can collect waters and individually packaged nonperishable snacks as the kids are out of school and summer is here. People can make a tax deductible donation of ANY amount. We know the needs and we make it a point to help without hurting. Lastly, people can pray for us, we are boots on the ground and the needs are real.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?
Redeemed Women’s Home Office is based in Sunny South Dallas. South Dallas is a underserved, under-resourced, impoverished community. We are a food desert, transportation desert and laundromat desert to name a few. 100% of our clients (whom we call friends) are low income women and our neighborhood is 86% single black women. Please give today online or via check @ Redeemed Women, PO.Box 600623 Dallas, TX 75360 / www.redeemedwomen.org / FB/IG/YouTube @redeemedwomendallas

Lipgloss for Love
Rosalind Rayford, Founder and Executive Director

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?

Lipgloss for Love would greatly benefit from the community partnership of building capacity. We can also benefit from the community sharing our programs, and offering incentives to youth who participate and become advocates to STOP Teen Violence. We develop also conversations with adults expressing the lasting impact family violence has.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience? 
LipGloss for Love has a mission to educate, raise awareness, and teach the prevention of the domestic violence cycle. Can you help by becoming a partner in our efforts?

Beacon Hill Preparatory Institute
Charnella Derry, President/Co Founder

How can people support your organization and the community you serve?

What is our community’s greatest asset? Your answer may be—like ours—our children. Americans have always valued education. We believe education is a cornerstone of individual and community success. We know it’s essential to getting a job with a good wage and health benefits. And we know an educated workforce is fundamental to a community’s economic prosperity. We believe that by transforming education, we can change lives, provide families hope for the future, and break the cycle of poverty.

And yet…only 36% of Dallas County 3rd graders read on grade level. Reading at grade level for 8th graders is no better: still 36%. In math, only 36% of 3rd graders tested at grade level and this drops to 31% by 8th grade. This presents long term economic and social challenges for our community. At Beacon Hill, our response and our motto is Success Begins with Preparation. We supplement existing school systems and prepare students and families for success by providing reading and math tutoring, parent education, college preparation, and enrichment activities for students in South Dallas and surrounding communities.

We encourage everyone to dream big here at Beacon Hill. That’s why our goals are lofty. During the last thirteen years we have served over 8000 students, parents and families across 13 local school districts and communities. In 2018-19 we:

• tutored 954 students in after-school, in-school, and summer programs at 18 public schools, charter schools, and community locations, and
• 92% of our students improved their reading and/or math grade level.

Will you join us on this journey? A gift of $25 will provide one tutoring session to help local students build the future of their dreams.

Would you like to share anything else with the Dallas Doing Good audience?

New Research Predicts Steep COVID Learning Losses Will Widen Already Dramatic Achievement Gaps Within Classrooms. Before pandemic-related school closures, a single classroom could have students working at up to seven grade levels. New research conducted by the nonprofit assessment organization NWEA predicts that teachers are likely to see an even broader array of achievement gaps when schools reopen. Although the researchers can’t project how many grade levels might be represented in the average classroom at the start of the next academic year, they say the number of students at the extremes is likely to grow. The lowest-achieving kids may fall two more years behind. With your help, Beacon Hill’s tutoring programs will be a key resource to help close this gap in Reading and Math for students in South Dallas and surrounding communities.

Read more stories about black nonprofit leaders in North Texas.