Our executive director and The Nellie Mae Education Foundation Community Advisor, Marquis Victor reminds us of our purpose: to fight for educational equality, centering our youth and community-based organizations.
"I know and believe at my very core, that my own child and every child, everywhere should have this opportunity; to love, to ask questions, to believe and disbelieve, to dream and experience those dreams coming true through each brushstroke. Yet the past four years have reminded me that not everyone wants this dream to come true... Based on conversations with grantees, this blog post was written to challenge the philanthropic sector to decide whether to be spectators or participants in the work at hand. As NMEF’s work with grantee partners evolved so did the understanding of the importance of centering community voice in the work."