Lifting up Black Stories: 3 Change-Makers Working for Inclusion

You can’t be what you can’t see: To build a more just society, we need greater opportunities for people from communities that have been marginalized because of their skin color. 

So a fundamental building block to a more equitable world is equal representation in the stories we tell and the examples we share. Those stories open doors in everyone’s imaginations and make the world richer.

Here are three stories from black difference-makers who are removing barriers to what young people can imagine for their future. 

Frederick Joseph

Frederick Joseph’s #BlackPantherChallenge campaign raised over $800,000 for kids to see the Black Panther movie for free.

There are so many aspects of a human life — and joy has to be one of them.

Ray Smith

Ray Smith is a pilot in Pennsylvania who gives free flight classes to children from marginalized communities.

Exposure is the prerequisite to opportunity. You can’t be what you can’t see, so as long as I’m flying and I have free time, I’m going to take kids flying. They need to see it.

Yamilée Touissant Beach

Only four-percent of engineers in the U.S. are black or Latina women. Yamilée Touissant Beach is on a mission to help minority girls get excited about a future in STEM careers. 

I’m driven by fairness. I felt so empowered when I had my engineering degree. You can say anything about me, but you can’t take away my education. To me, it’s only fair that we make that accessible to all students.

No matter your race, these stories encourage us to pay attention to who is sitting around the table of opportunity, and whose voice and perspective and life history might be missing. Making an effort to widen our circles helps all of us reach for a richer community.