We have had a summer FILLED with joy, change, and transformation. On the morning of August 19th, our Executive Director – Chanda Womack – woke up to this beautiful letter from one of our workshop participants (a rising senior at Alvarez) and I am reminded of why we do what we do.

After spending only 2 days with 26 PPSD students, one of them chose to locate her email and express his thoughts. Read it below!

Hey Chanda,
I hope you are doing well. I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for bringing ARISE to talk on oppression and the fight you and many others are doing to combat it, whether it be through teaching others or suing the state yourselves! It was an incredibly eye-opening experience for me, and I wanted to share my thoughts.
The seminar provided me with a platform to delve deep into the topic of oppression, a subject that has always intrigued me. I've always wanted to engage in meaningful conversations about it within the classroom, but often felt there wasn't enough room or space to do so. But your time with us has created such a nice space to talk about such topics that would never be taught in my classrooms. Because the truth is, in a school system being predominantly black and Hispanic, I still don't know my history the way I should, and there is no reason it should be this way. So I am grateful for the work you are doing!
The insights and perspectives shared during the two days were truly enlightening. I liked the way the topics were taught and how they would make me think even more critically and harder about the oppression I have been comfortable with.
I wish I would've heard of an organization like ARISE earlier in my education, I wish organizations like yours were advertised in schools because these are things EVERY student needs to be hearing about. I'm going to try to encourage my younger sisters to join Arise.
Once again, I want to express my gratitude for your dedication to providing a space for important discussions. Your commitment to broadening students' horizons and encouraging critical thinking is amazing. I look forward to more opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations and continue our journey toward a more just and equitable world.
Thank you again
Best regards,
Terrell Osborne