By Yusra Dawood

As a University of California, Santa Cruz student interning with the United Black Family Scholarship Foundation, I recently had the opportunity to travel to Oklahoma City for a Nonprofit Coaching & Leadership Training event. It was life-changing. While there, we were able to explore a community of dilapidated properties our organization plans to revitalize.  

Careful not to step on any syringes, we peered through the broken windows and checked the damage. It was disheartening. Seeing the state of these properties really assisted me to understand just how important the work we are doing is. We are working to rebuild the community from within the community. That means understanding how these eyesores play a vital role in underfunded schools, crime, and a dire need to work with community members with high incarceration rates and poverty. 

Oklahoma City has one of the highest crime rates in America. Oklahoma incarcerates 1,079 people for every 100,000 people. Blacks make up 7% of this population, yet make 26% of Oklahoma’s incarcerated. Without affordable housing and a strong tax-base, many are left vulnerable to Oklahoma’s School-to-Prison pipeline. Our goal at the UBFSF is to reinvest in these communities and work to address these issues.

As we were browsing the Eastside, we also stumbled upon an abandoned school: The Marcus Garvey Charter School located in the epicenter of Oklahoma City. We scouted the perimeter and found just behind the fence, a cracked window and a chair conveniently standing next to it. Before I knew it Mark and Cedric were climbing through the window. I quickly threw my purse on the ground, not wanting to miss any of the action, and jumped over the fence with the ease of my long legs. 

Inside, cables and debris littered the floor as I found myself standing on a large wooden stage. I’ve never been inside an abandoned school before. I was simply taken aback by the radical paintings that covered the walls. The art spoke of a level of consciousness, unlike any school I’d been in before. This was especially so considering most schools today resemble prisons rather than learning spaces to grow and thrive. As we ventured into this abandoned structure, we found a calendar on the floor dated 2012-2013. Lessons on biology still covered the whiteboard. Something on the left caught my eye. Painted on the wall was a saying, “Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.” That there was a moment. 

It was most awe-inspiring to see the leadership that was being taught at this school. It was shocking. Yet at the same time, seeing it closed made me angry and sad. How I’d wish I was nurtured in a school like this where I would be invited to love my identity, instead of feeling ashamed. Still and yet, I came away with a sense of joy knowing there existed a place like this.

As we prepared to return to our hotel that evening, we spoke to an older man near one of the properties we were looking at. He suggested we host a community picnic as a platform to address our REBUILD program. Without question, it was one of the best ideas that could be thought of to bring this community together to address this dire social issue. A month later, we obtained approval for the event and we are now planning our first-ever town hall meeting and community picnic in Oklahoma City this coming August 2020. Support a great cause! Donate today!