Innovative Academy of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Despite women of color demonstrating success in the non-profit sector, research shows 9% of non-profit leaders are African American and represent only 6% of philanthropic funding. For decades, communities of color have been bombarded with solutions created for them while lacking inclusion. The time to cede power from cultural hegemony into communities of color is now.

We will take advantage of the Elevate Prize in the following ways:

MONEY: Funding will support: starter portfolio and investment accounts for cohort participants, contractual cost for STEAM program and hiring one team member.

AMPLIFICATION. We will leverage strategic marketing and media expertise to build a platform disrupting negative cultural narratives through:

1)   social media campaigns to spread awareness, showcase special events, attract beneficiaries and supporters 2) digital storytelling highlighting success stories positive father role models, uplifting families, and peer support

MENTORSHIP. We will leverage mentorship, especially with decision-makers to help refine and  influence implementation on a local to national scale.

CONNECTIONS. We will leverage connections by looking for potential ways to partner and support the work of cohort members.

SUPPORT. We would leverage tailored programs to improve leadership ability and develop a strategy for scaling.

As a child, I did not feel heard nor did I feel that I had the opportunity to dream big. I hated school and had no outlet to dream about my goals. I discovered my dreams in an unlikely place - alternative school. Free from the restraints of the public school system, I dissected a cat and discovered a passion for science and decided I wanted to become a physician.

IALAS is the dream that my ancestors wanted for me, and the dream I want for others like me. An outlet to voice our traumas and heal from our pains. An outlet to dream and develop skill to pursue STEAM careers. An outlet to see ourselves in our futures, where the color of our skin is an opportunity to chart new paths for a brighter future. IALAS is my labor of love to address the achievement and opportunity gaps.

I am disrupting the cultural hegemony by creating pathways to healing, high earning careers and economic prosperity for disadvantaged communities of color. However, it is not enough to build at the bottom, I believe we must lift as we climb or we will never see sustainable change.

Racial wealth and achievement gaps create poverty cycles. The world’s 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than 60% of Earth’s population (4.6 billion). The top 1% of Americans’ 30.4% of U.S. household wealth, while the bottom 50% holds 1.9% of all wealth.

In D.C., 1 white household’s wealth equals 88 black households. In Wards 7-8, the highest black population, child poverty jumps to 67%, about 10,000 families. Rates have not changed since 1990!  70% of students from the wealthiest ward (3) are college and career ready compared to 20% for the poorest wards (7-8).

 Exposure to recurrent trauma, lack of quality education and enrichment, and inefficient policies contribute to poverty and unequal wealth distribution. Upper middle class whites built wealth through New Deal legislation; ultra-wealthy amassed wealth through progressive tax policies, business, and stocks. Structural racism wasn’t created in a silo; neither should its solution.

 Innovative Academy of Liberal Arts & Sciences(IALAS) combats intergenerational poverty through education, opportunity, and wealth-building strategies for historically marginalized D.C. families.

IALAS’ has 3 core components:

 REIGNITE: Individual therapy and mindset coaching to heal trauma.

 POWER: IT certification course, financial coaching, and investing skills. 

 POSSIBILITY:  After-school STEAM enrichment that creates alternative career narratives ensures college preparedness.=

Historically, those closest to the problem are excluded from collaborating on solutions. Wards 7-8 residents are key in program development, evaluation design and implementation. Our goal is not to give a man a fish but rather teach them how to fish. 

Our 2-generation, holistic approach deepens community collaboration with a unique spin to each component.

Reignite: Mental Health

We provide access to individual therapy that heals trauma. Our mindset coaching creates safe space for parents. As they pull back the layers to help them see their innate worth, we open doors to countless possibilities.

Power: Economic Empowerment

Unlike financial programs that create dependency, IALAS gives families resources to achieve self-sufficiency, create generational wealth, and experience true freedom by teaching both generations investment skills.

Possibility: STEAM Access

Despite critical thinking development in middle school, this remains the Bermuda Triangle of education when students often get off track. By captivating their interest in STEAM careers, they gain an edge on high school internships. This exposure lifts them above their current situation and seeds the moguls of tomorrow.

IALAS serves Wards 7-8; once solidified, the model can be duplicated nationwide to impact other communities.

With wealth comes a power source; families of color must have the knowledge to play effectively. While parents focus on realizing their infinite potential, children receive UGMA accounts that accelerate their own wealth-building journey. These are similar to baby bonds, a promising solution to significantly decrease racial wealth gap. 

By reducing parents’ socioeconomic barriers, student educational outcomes will improve. Current trends predict the demand for STEAM professionals to skyrocket by 2030 with the US lagging behind. This provides a unique opportunity to access alternative career narratives. Our first cohort is underway; quantitative and qualitative program feedback supports the need for I3. Parents are in therapy and improving financial capability. Most importantly, our mindset course is increasing their belief in economic mobility, improving self-perception and confidence. Their children have a piqued interest in science; one student said, “I want to be an Astronaunt.”

 By 2030, we will help 1500+ families co-create a future that exchanges a cycle of poverty for a cycle of achievement and economic prosperity.We can, with the right program, with the IALAS program, create both  a more diverse workforce and a thriving nation where everyone has access to the American Dream.