“What I love most about being a founder is the opportunity to collaborate and co-create solutions with my team and the communities we serve. Our mission to strengthen democracy and civic participation propels our own creativity and drive in working to achieve it.”
Read More“I entered the entrepreneurial space because of my passion for social justice. Old ways of thinking are not driving us towards social equity. Bold, innovative thinking, which is the bedrock of social entrepreneurship, can help bring our world a bit closer to justice. That's something I wanted to be a part of.”
Read More“I am committed to building authentic, trustworthy relationships in the community and to ensuring that our grantmaking is reflective of our community. I will also aid in reducing the implicit bias that exists in many philanthropic processes and make certain that access and trust are at the core of our grantmaking. I don’t have all the answers and twenty years into my career I am finally ok with that. It is time to invest in the real experts in our community to see the shared goal of lasting, systemic change.”
Read More“The vision for the 1000 MORE app came to me in a dream. I saw it so clearly that I realized it was the right path for this mission of civic empowerment. I woke up from the dream in the middle of the night, purchased the domain, and began to pitch the idea within months.”
Read More“I’m determined to see my students, and all youth, have all the same opportunities my mother gave me, to pursue their dreams and share their gifts with the world. That means that every student deserves due process, representation in court, presumption of innocence, affordable bail, college and career access, health care, housing, and more.”
Read More“I love being a founder because I have a rare chance to turn something that started as an idea into something tangible that makes a change in the world. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
“I enjoy arranging our Queens, Kings, and team to execute a collective vision at The Creative School. I enjoy the freedom of time to approach this work with as much balance as possible. I enjoy the memories we're making--it's just the beginning.”
“My favorite thing about being a founder is having a dream and seeing it come to pass through the support of individuals and communities that believe in me and the mission and vision of Denver Independent School.”
“The highlight of the Capital Collaborative for me was multifold. I was grateful for the history of white philanthropy. I was grateful for the foundational discussions of white supremacy. I learned to admit, regardless of what I thought I was, that I am a white supremacist by virtue of my white privilege.”
“I chose to embark on the Camelback Fellowship because I recognize that the work that we do as BIPOC educators and entrepreneurs is hard and that and that it is especially hard alone. Looking across this cohort, I see brothers and sisters with whom my struggles will resonate and who may have a word of encouragement and some hearty advice when I need it most, and I hope to do the same for them.”
“I’m an optimist by nature. I rarely carry an umbrella when I leave my house because I’m sure it's not going to rain. I’m confident that I can get five things done in the 10 minutes I have before my next meeting. And even in the face of slow progress to fully support Black and Brown student success, I truly believe we can redesign our schools to be equitable places where all students experience love, connection, and support to pursue their goals and passions.”
Read MoreWe are excited to welcome our 2021 Education and Conscious Tech fellows who are joining our fellowship program that supports entrepreneurs of color and women leading innovative social impact ventures. These founders are tackling pressing issues across the United States including systemic racism, education inequities, accessibility to civic participation, student career readiness as well as health and wellness.
“Curiosity opens the door to conversations with folks at different points on their own racial equity journeys. Curiosity allows for interrogation of my own physical reactions and feelings. Curiosity makes receiving feedback – especially difficult feedback – easier. Curiosity builds relationships that move from transactional to trusting.”
Read More“The public health crisis in the last 15+ months has been a season of introspection. The pandemic has affirmed that the racial and economic disparities Camelback Fellows work to change is real. This period in time has also encouraged us to make sure that our mission and vision is aligned with our values and what we want to create in the world. Language is a powerful tool that can order your steps and be the light that others can follow.”
“It has been inspiring and uplifting to engage with other white leaders from across the country who are similarly interested in redistributing power and interrogating the way things are and have been done within the funding space. I’m grateful for the space to honestly reflect on failings and shortcomings, with an optimism that, as we know better, we can do better.”
“Since the murder of George Floyd, a summer of uprisings, and the continued police, state, and vigilante violence against Black, Asian, Latinx, and Indigenous people, I have observed white people acting from an increased sense of urgency to restore a sense of ourselves as good. This urgency is more about avoiding our own shame rather than shifting violent systems.”
Read More“The Capital Collaborative is a great opportunity to get real about how racism shows up in our lives and our work, and to stop avoiding the difficult conversations and feelings that often surface for white people when we talk about race. This is also a great way to build a network of other funders who want to be more explicitly antiracist.”
“Here it is - the opening of the 2021 Camelback Fellowship Application. With our search for the next generation of the #CamelbackFam in full swing, we wanted to fill you in on some updates. In the name of continuous evolution, we’re making a few changes (you know we like to keep it fresh!)”
“Creating systemic equity is the counterbalance to systemic racism, but it requires a retooling of the whole system, investment in people and communities, and new diverse leadership. Equity requires humbleness and prioritized spending beyond many well-meaning organizations working within the realm of anti-racism. Merely turning the pie so that people of color can now enjoy the portions white Americans have been accustomed to fails to recognize that the entire pie is poisonous.”
Read More“White people, whether intentional or not, have created and upheld the policies and systems that perpetuate racism. I don’t think those systems and policies can change until many more white people understand the specific ways they contribute to this. Acknowledging race, learning to talk about it, and understand the role we each play in reinforcing or actively breaking down systems of racism is really hard and emotional work. It’s been valuable to have a group of people grappling with these same issues to learn from and reaffirm that while this is difficult it is worth it.”
