Since the pandemic hit in February 2020, I often find myself coming back to this Audre Lorde quote: “Life is very short and what we have to do must be done in the now.”

For obvious reasons, I think many of us are urgently re-thinking our work, our goals, and our dreams. And in a time when everything feels urgent - the pandemic, the climate crisis, the attacks on voting rights, and on and on - it remains clear to me that all of our urgent needs are tied to the people who are in power to fulfill those needs.

The Leaders of Color program was created to help build power in Black and Latino communities. We do this by helping community leaders get the knowledge, network, and skills they need to achieve their civic and political goals. And since 2018, we’ve seen our 116 graduates take their innate community leadership skills to the next level. Recent alumni survey data tells us that 72% of our graduates are in leadership positions, like serving on nonprofit boards, and more than 30% of our leaders are running for public office or participating in local campaigns.  

That level of engagement is inspiring and shows us that our methods are working. That’s why we’re excited to build on this success in 2022 and beyond - here’s where we’re headed: 

• In 2022, we will expand our New Orleans work across the state of Louisiana
• We will continue to grow our work in Memphis, TN and New York, NY, with an eye towards creating stronger alumni networks and mentorship opportunities for our graduates and fellows
• Our goal is to train 400 fellows by 2023 across the U.S. Taken together, these fellows will represent the potential to reach 1.5 million students with equitable educational policies and opportunities.

You can help us reach these goals: 

• Our application for 2022 cohorts in Louisiana, Memphis, and New York are open now! 
• We’ve also created a new nomination process to help build our networks - you can nominate a leader in your network here. 
• Your donation can help propel our program forward so we can reach more communities, faster. You can make a tax-deductible donation to support our work here.

Audre Lorde also said, “Without community there is no liberation.” I hope you will join our community of leaders and changemakers diligently working towards a brighter future.