Community Equity Initiative

The Community Equity Initiative (CEI) is a grassroots non-profit organization founded in 2021 by BIPOC residents of Jefferson County to support BIPOC youth and families. Through transformative education, leadership development, and community building, we strengthen public institutions, amplify the voices of marginalized communities, and empower them to reimagine and lead social change.

Uplifting Voices   |   Building Power   |   A Fiscally Sponsored Nonprofit Organization

Mission


CEI advances equity and justice for marginalized communities in a predominantly white, rural region of Washington. Grounded in intersectional lived experience, we confront systemic inequities through community-led strategies. By centering those most impacted, we cultivate leadership, strengthen public education, and build a future rooted in belonging, healing, and collective liberation.

Organizational Leadership

Our leadership and advisory board are deeply connected to the communities we serve. Comprised entirely of BIPOC/PGM, our team reflects intersecting identities across race, gender, sexuality, ability, class, and age. Many are LGBTQIA+, disabled, elders, caregivers, or survivors of systemic and interpersonal harm.

We reject one-size-fits-all leadership models, instead honoring lived realities and fostering collaboration. Our advisory board operates as a circle of trust where wisdom, accountability, and collective values guide decisions. Members include long-time activists, organizers, educators, and cultural workers, drawing on knowledge from community organizing, ancestral teachings, and professional practice.

Our structure resists hierarchy and nurtures emerging leaders, particularly young people. Grounded in collective liberation, we move at the speed of trust, modeling the future we seek: leadership grown within communities, not extracted from them.

Projects

Over the course of three years, CEI has evolved from school-based advocacy to intersectional organizing. We support civic participation through restorative circles, public comment coaching, and leadership development. Our scope includes LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, survivors, and low-income families, recognizing that intersectionality builds durable solidarity and collective power.

Uplifting BIPOC Youth Wellness

We prioritize the well-being of BIPOC youth through advocacy, mentorship, and school partnerships. CEI supports BIPOC Student Unions (BSUs), vital spaces for connection, identity affirmation, and intergenerational leadership, starting as early as elementary school.

Engaging Community Voice

We amplify community voices to hold institutions accountable and drive systemic change. Our advocacy helped catalyze the district’s “Acknowledgment of Harm,” opening dialogue about racism in schools. We continue advancing racial equity through restorative discipline practices, expanded BIPOC staffing, educator training, and inclusive curriculum.

Facilitating Restorative Listening Circles

Our circles create spaces for dialogue, healing, and trust. Through affinity groups and equity meetings, participants explore needs, build understanding, and generate collective solutions.

Strengthening BIPOC Family Connection

CEI provided support for the monthly BIPOC Family Excursions Program (BFEP). BFEP counters cultural isolation by creating joyful and affirming spaces through shared meals, cultural programming, and connection. These gatherings foster belonging and resilience.

Empowering Marginalized Voices: A Narrative Storytelling Initiative

Our latest project is a Narrative Storytelling Initiative to harness thepower of storytelling for empowerment, equity, and systemic change. Through workshops, circles, and creative productions, spanning writing, theatre, media, and visual storytelling, participants will reclaim identity, challenge dominant narratives, and influence culture and institutions.

Goal:
Empower underrepresented communities to build cultural power, strengthen leadership, and shape systemic change.

Objectives:

  • Cultivate Voice & Agency: Support participants in reclaiming identity and asserting lived truths. 
  • Build Civic & Creative Skills: Develop storytelling tools to engage in dialogue, challenge injustice, and influence policy. 
  • Strengthen Solidarity: Deepen Community Connections and Expand Collective Action. 
  • Advance Resource Equity: Provide stipends, tech access, and trauma-responsive facilitation. 
  • Increase Visibility: Share stories through exhibitions and partnerships to shift culture and policy.


This initiative builds on proven models that demonstrate how storytelling fosters healing, leadership, and civic action. Core funding will establish:

  • A digital and physical archive of community narratives. 
  • A peer support network to sustain engagement. 
  • A replicable model for rural narrative justice.


At its heart is a simple yet profound belief: when marginalized people tell their own stories, they claim power, reshape culture, and create a more just future.

Donate to the Project

Tax-deductible donations can be made to CEI via our fiscal sponsor’s payment portal.

Please select Community Equity Initiative under payment portal pulldown menu. Thank you!

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