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We are a “think and do” research + action organization, blending rigorous research principles with active community engagement.
We are a “think and do” research + action organization, blending rigorous research principles with active community engagement.
Our work aims to bridge the critical intersection of education, safety, health, and housing to ensure better outcomes and experiences for community residents in racialized and disinvested areas. We are a community-participation and inspired organization, collaborating with other BIPOC groups and allies to champion, execute, and evaluate evidence-based, systemic solutions that advance racial and economic justice in Chicago and beyond.
We work with school districts, governments, local municipalities, housing departments, philanthropy, health agencies, community leaders, interfaith groups, and law enforcement agencies. Our goal is to support these organizations with the tools, research and direct services they need to empower children, youth, and their family with the world class educational outcomes required to escape intergenerational poverty and close the racial wealth gap.
Our work aims to bridge the critical intersection of education, safety, health, and housing to ensure better outcomes and experiences for community residents in racialized and disinvested areas. We are a community-participation and inspired organization, collaborating with other BIPOC groups and allies to champion, execute, and evaluate evidence-based, systemic solutions that advance racial and economic justice in Chicago and beyond.
We work with school districts, governments, local municipalities, housing departments, philanthropy, health agencies, community leaders, interfaith groups, and law enforcement agencies. Our goal is to support these organizations with the tools, research and direct services they need to empower children, youth, and their family with the world class educational outcomes required to escape intergenerational poverty and close the racial wealth gap.
Our experienced leaders drive excellence and collaboration, guiding us to achieve your vision.
Stan is a political scientist specializing in the American political system, African American politics, civil rights, and civil liberties. He is also a serious student of early childhood through college and careers education. For over 20 years, Stan delivered presentations and conducted workshops for hundreds of teachers, educators, and administrators around the world, as part of the U.S. State Department academic and cultural exchange programs.
Principal Investigator, Environmental
Justice Department
Principal Investigator,
Director, Research and Evaluation
Department
Senior Community-Liaison
Researcher
Senior Advisor, Marketing and
Communication
Senior Community Fund
Developer
Fund Development
Advisor
Principal Investigator, Environmental
Justice Department
Principal Investigator,
Director, Research and Evaluation
Department
Senior Community-Liaison
Researcher
PhD., Operations Research; Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Focus Area: Research Design; Data Collection, Community Needs Assessment,
Evaluation, K-12 College and Careers Education
PhD, Mathematics Education; Georgia State University
Focus Areas: STEM/STEAM Education, Emerging Technologies, Machine Learning
(AI, VR), K-12 College and Careers Education
Bachelor of Arts, History; Morgan State University
Focus Areas: community engagement, grassroots organizing, community safety,
public policy
Senior Advisor, Marketing and
Communication
Senior Community Fund
Developer
Fund Development
Advisor
Principal Investigator, Environmental
Justice Department
Principal Investigator,
Director, Research and Evaluation
Department
Senior Community-Liaison
Researcher
Senior Advisor, Marketing and
Communication
Fund Development Advisor
Senior Advisor, Marketing and
Communication
Fund Development Advisor
We are a “think and do” research +action organization, blending rigorous research principles with active community engagement. On one hand, our award-winning team of researchers employs traditional scientifically-driven research methodologies to produce credible, transparent, and actionable data. On the other, we are deeply committed to hands-on collaboration with communities, ensuring their voices and lived experiences are integral to our work. This dual approach not only grounds our research in real-world contexts but also helps drive the development and implementation of evidence-based, systemic solutions that reflect the needs and insights of those directly impacted.
We are a “think and do” research +action organization, blending rigorous research principles with active community engagement. On one hand, our award-winning team of researchers employs traditional scientifically-driven research methodologies to produce credible, transparent, and actionable data. On the other, we are deeply committed to hands-on collaboration with communities, ensuring their voices and lived experiences are integral to our work. This dual approach not only grounds our research in real-world contexts but also helps drive the development and implementation of evidence-based, systemic solutions that reflect the needs and insights of those directly impacted.
Environmental Justice/STEM
Initiative efforts led by impacted BIPOC communities play a critical role in creating and sustaining equitable, livable, and resilient neighborhoods for all. Our EJ/STEM initiative invites local youth to be frontline (paid) researchers to identify and provide solutions to the environmental justice issues in their communities. By way of rigorous data collection of food access, soil, water, and air quality, and advocating for policy changes, the program aims to improve health outcomes, create jobs, and stimulate economic development. Our ongoing pilot research also shows that the intersection of EJ and STEM education presents a unique opportunity to engage communities of color and business leaders in building stronger communities while promoting quality STEM education to young students of color that translates to them earning a livable wage.
For far too long, the consistent negative classification of African American youth fails to
acknowledge historic and ongoing systemic and structural barriers including economic,
social, and public policies which perpetually and adversely continue to contribute to
outcomes this program seeks to address. African American youth dramatically
underperform in K-12 academics compared to all other ethnic groups. This leads to a well-documented cycle of intergenerational poverty and incarceration, with boys being 12 times more likely to be held in juvenile facilities than their White peers.
Project Restoration is an evidenced-based program designed to address this chronic
source of inequity and reconnect troubled boys to their noble history. The initiative
blends intensive class and communal time with an inward exploration, all while at-risk
Chicago students experience a transformative, guided journey through Ghana, West Africa.
The program has already proven its ability to imbue discipline, dignity, and determination in
struggling students who are more likely to end up in jail than in college, decreasing
incarceration rates and community violence while increasing GPAs and graduation and
attendance rates
Solid research shows that boys and young men are more successful in school and beyond when they are given a strong foundation in the earliest years of their lives. They are more likely to stay in school, experience academic gains, exhibit fewer behavior problems, demonstrate higher socioemotional competence, and be more resilient in the face of persistent challenges. Our Honorable Men Mentoring (HMMF) program is based in over 14yrs of science-supported public safety Community Participation Research (CPR) on at-risk boys in their early years through adolescence. The program collaborates with our Project Restoration initiative, and is invested in educating, training, and certifying mentors and fathers to support boys and young men in the areas of education, social-emotional development, and job training.
Solid research shows that boys and young men are more successful in school and beyond when they are given a strong foundation in the earliest years of their lives. They are more likely to stay in school, experience academic gains, exhibit fewer behavior problems, demonstrate higher socioemotional competence, and be more resilient in the face of persistent challenges. Our Honorable Men Mentoring (HMMF) program is based in over 14yrs of science-supported public safety Community Participation Research (CPR) on at-risk boys in their early years through adolescence. The program collaborates with our Project Restoration initiative, and is invested in educating, training, and certifying mentors and fathers to support boys and young men in the areas of education, social-emotional development, and job training.
Got questions? We’ve got answers! Our FAQs cover everything you need to know to get started.
We’re still here! We have never stopped doing the work and have never been more excited by and committed to our community-participation research+action work! Today, we are uniquely positioned to listen to and employ the voices of the people in the community, to make sure our evidence-based, culturally responsive, and civically engaged programs and research are uplifting their voices. Our goal remains to develop communities in ways that inspire and empower each and every one if its residents.
Yes, we remain committed to celebrating and honoring the innate brilliance of Black children and youth—and their joy of learning! However, our mission now looks more broadly at the modern challenges facing Black families that can derail this joy in the age of racial and economic inequity, automation, artificial intelligence, and civic distrust.
Like other research-based organizations around the city, nation, and world, our organization is dedicated to "thinking" about the reasons why some members of our human family are oppressed, racialized, and placed in under-resourced communities. However, unlike many other organizations, thinking about the causes of these problems is only the beginning. Our organization is also committed to "doing" something to solve the problems that have been identified and evaluating the solutions to see if they are working. (aka: Research + Action Model).
