Mitchell Kapor Foundation Weblog

The month of May wore me OUT! So much going on – can I capture it in 300 words or less? Here goes!

On Tuesday the 19th, I headed to Denver for the FCCP spring convening, Shifting Landscapes: Exploring Civic Engagement Strategies, Partnerships and New Possibilities. These gatherings are always informative with interesting people, and this was no exception. I presented a brief historical overview during the session Turning Promise into Practice: Strategies for Transforming Antiquated Voter Registration Systems – a fired up name for a strategy session on voter registration modernization. Check out the slideshow (pdf) for more information.

California’s special election was also held on Tuesday. We were concerned about the potential (and realized) low turnout for an election with huge budget implications, so the Foundation made a grant to Citizen Voice in support of their nonpartisan Special Elections Project. In two weeks they reached over a million people! See more on their website.

I also moderated a panel at A Dream Deferred: The Future of African American Education, the annual conference sponsored by The College Board. Our panel, The Black Boys College Bound Initiative: A Philanthropic and Community Collaborative, highlighted the work and strategies of three of our grantee organizations – Young Scholars Program, M3 Education Foundation, and SACREA’s My Brother’s Keeper Summer Algebra Academy. Again, check out the slideshow (pdf) for more details.

Last but certainly not least, I attended a U.C. Berkeley commencement ceremony to happily witness my colleague Carmen Rojas as she received her Ph.D. in City Planning. Many congrats, Carmen! Or should I say “Dr. Rojas”?

More stuff next week. I’m going to rest.

Flickr photo by Mark Jarvis

Last Saturday, the Mitchell Kapor Foundation received a Community Partner Award from 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, Inc., one of our Black Boys College Bound Initiative (BBCBI) grantees. The award was part of the organization’s Annual Fundraising & Awards Gala celebrating their 20th anniversary, various individuals and organizations that have made a positive impact on their work, and the many students who are recipients of the organization’s scholarships.

We appreciate the recognition of the Foundation’s commitment to working with the community to create positive social change, and we’ll continue working with our BBCBI grantees in 2009 to raise the number of black male students who successfully complete high school ready for a quality post-secondary education experience.

Last Friday, October 17th, I attended the Level Playing Field Institute’s (LPFI) Annual Fairness Matters Gala event, which honored Dr. Tyrone Hayes and Justice Matters Institute for their work in creating opportunities for students of color within California.

A core grantee of the Mitchell Kapor Foundation, LPFI was founded in 2001 by Dr. Freada Kapor Klein and “promotes innovative approaches to fairness in higher education and the workplace by removing barriers to full participation.” Because the mission of LPFI resonates very well with our Black Boys College Bound Initiative work, each of our 11 BBCBI grantees were able to send one staff member and one young man from their programs to attend this event. It was a great opportunity for them to learn more about LPFI’s programs.

I was inspired by Dr. Tyrone Hayes’ award acceptance speech in which he highlighted significant moments in his history where he struggled with racism in spite of high levels of academic achievement. He talked warmly about various individuals who saw opportunity in him and scaffolded him even when he wasn’t performing at his best potential. I was also touched by one of the IDEAL (
Initiative for Diversity in Education and Leadership) Scholars who spoke of her personal struggles as a poor immigrant from Mexico who was able to transcend her economic status to be the first in her family to attend college through the support of LPFI and the IDEAL Scholars program.

The overwhelming message that I got from the event and all the speakers is that help can come from the most unexpected places. I am very grateful for all the educators and elders in my past who saw fit to encourage me and for the organizations like LPFI whose missions are to give that extra bit of support that can help change the lives of well-deserving and dedicated youth from low-income communities and communities of color.

Posing with 3 BBCBI program participants at LPFI Gala

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend an event sponsored by one of our BBCBI grantees, Reality Mentor, Inc.  With a theme of “We Believe in You,” the organization celebrated its Black Boys College Bound Mentoring Program that provides black teenage boys with mentoring, youth leadership development, and college readiness activities to help them succeed in high school and continue to and through college.

I really enjoyed meeting the wonderful Reality Mentor, Inc. staff and supporters.  It was enlightening to see their enthusiasm for such very important and meaningful work.  I was also able to witness something that foundations love to see, collaboration amongst non-profit organizations.  Reality Mentor, Inc. and Be A Mentor signed a Memorandum of Understanding to start a new partnership which will allow Reality Mentor, Inc. to enhance its services, including the ability to better track students’ progress through high school and college.

I’m excited to be working with such dedicated people. If any of your organizations have similar gatherings that you would like us to attend, feel free to let me know!