We Can and Must Do More

Chastity Lord | August 13, 2020 | Aspen Postsecondary Success for Parents

These last few months have been painful and emotional for all of us. We watched as another Black man was killed, a Black woman’s murder continues to be ignored, peaceful protests were disrupted, and rights were infringed upon. It has been a fearful and frustrating time during which we’ve all wondered if we’ll finally see the systemic changes that have disadvantaged marginalized communities for generations. Like many of you, I am hopeful that these events have sparked an awakening for our communities and for our nation, and that there’s a renewed commitment to pursuing equity for all people.

Jeremiah Program has worked for more than 20 years to help single moms and their children disrupt the cycle of poverty and has impacted thousands of lives. We should all be very proud of what JP, our families, and our staff have accomplished with the help of our supporters. But we can and must do more.

As Jeremiah enters the next phase of its work, it’s vital that we ensure that JP’s goals and strategies are aligned with the women and communities that we serve and that we, as an organization, live our core values. Beginning immediately, Jeremiah’s Leadership Team will embark upon an assessment of our organizational goals, reflecting on how our values manifest in our language, how we discuss our families and our work, how and with whom we conduct business, how we recruit, onboard and support staff, board and volunteers. We’ll also reflect on who we’ve been and who we should be, understanding that aspiring to do better does not negate the good work of the past. It does not change our mission of disrupting generational poverty two generations at a time for single moms and their children—in fact I think it will move us closer.

We want to center our moms in everything we do, acknowledging the trauma, and systemic and structural inequities, that are woven through their realities as women experiencing poverty. We also want to ensure that our children are receiving culturally competent lessons that celebrate their greatness and embrace the richness and differences of all communities. As an organization, we need to bring race into the conversation about how we go about our work disrupting poverty, and we need to acknowledge that a woman’s race plays a significant role in the type of education she receives, whether she grows up in poverty and her future economic outlook.

This is equally true for many of our children. To that end, we will examine our programming through a racial and socio-economic lens and begin addressing policies that propagate the systems that negatively impact our moms and families.

All of us are committed to doing the very best we can for our moms and families. I’m confident that this assessment and renewed commitment to the women and children we serve will help us do even more. As Maya Angelou has said, “When we know better, we do better.”

Chastity Lord is the president and CEO of Jeremiah Program. She is a National Advisor with the Ascend Postsecondary Success for Parents Initiative.

Related Posts

Graphic featuring a photo of Michaela Martin, Yolanda Johnson-Peterkin, Ariel Ventura-Lazo, and Dr. Daria Willis.
An episode of firsts! Our first live episode recorded at the inaugural Ascend Parent Advisor Convening in Aspen, CO in front of an audience of student parents.
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsOctober 27, 2023
Graphic showing a student's hand holding a graduation cap against a blue background.
Today, Ascend at the Aspen Institute announced that four community colleges from across the United States have been selected as partners to its Postsecondary Leadership Circle Activation Fund.
Press ReleasesOctober 3, 2023
Group photo of Ascend Parent Advisors standing outside in Aspen, Colorado with their arms outstretched upward.
Snapshots from the 2023 Ascend Parent Advisor Convening in Aspen, Colorado.
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsOctober 2, 2023
Graphic featuring headshot photos of Dr. Deana Around Him, Julian Thompson, and David Croom.
What does college success look like for Black and Native student parents? This podcast episode sheds light on student parents’ and administrators’ experiences at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, and Tribal Colleges and Universities, or TCUs.
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsSeptember 12, 2023
Ascend at the Aspen Institute is excited to announce the launch of the 2023 Parent-Powered Solutions Fund, which will provide financial resources and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations and institutions focused on increasing postsecondary success among parents.
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsJuly 20, 2023
A collection of different photos featuring Christian Ortiz, his daughter, and his mother
Reflections on the experiences, challenges, and joys that shape the life of student father and Ascend PSP Parent Advisor Christian Ortiz.
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsJune 16, 2023
Cover of the digital chartbook, "We Are Here Too: Who Are the 1 Million Fathers in College?". A student father in a graduation cap and gown is seated with his son and daughter, smiling.
Among the one in five postsecondary students who are parents, there are close to 1.1 million student fathers. This chartbook synthesizes the available research on student fathers to help inform the field’s efforts to support the success of all student parents.
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsJune 16, 2023
Cover of the digital chartbook, "We Are Here Too: Who Are the 1 Million Fathers in College?". A student father in a graduation cap and gown is seated with his son and daughter, smiling.
Today, Ascend at the Aspen Institute (Ascend) released the second season of “1 in 5,” its highly rated podcast that explores the multifaceted lives of the one in five college students raising children.
Press ReleasesJune 16, 2023
A photo of students and their children at Santa Fe Community College
On May 9, members of the Ascend team had the opportunity to visit Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico. Here are three takeaways from our site visit.
Ascend NetworkJune 14, 2023
In an Inside Higher Ed article, David Croom and Generation Hope provide important perspective into why the student parent population is important for higher education institutions to prioritize.
Media MentionsMay 9, 2023
Photo of student parent Waukecha Wilkerson with her family at her graduation ceremony.
Today, Ascend at the Aspen Institute (Ascend) released the second season of “1 in 5,” its highly rated podcast that explores the multifaceted lives of the one in five college students raising children.
Press ReleasesMay 3, 2023
Photo of Isis Patterson and her family
Growing up, Isis Patterson and her family were constantly operating in survival mode. School offered her the safety and security she lacked at home, so she took a liking to it. When she found out she was pregnant at 15, she kept herself immersed in her schoolwork, graduated with honors, and received a full-ride scholarship …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 10: Meet Isis Patterson Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsApril 25, 2023
1 in 5 Student Parent Podcast
As a child of immigrants, Lourdes saw the efforts her hard-working parents made to give her a memorable childhood, and how they always stressed the importance of education. Then, in high school, Lourdes became pregnant and the birth of her daughter inspired her aspirations for higher education, leading her to a career in nursing. As …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 9: Meet Lourdes Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsApril 17, 2023
Photo of Nicole Alkire Grady with her family in a park.
Nicole Alkire Grady always excelled in athletics and academics at Standing Rock High School in North Dakota. But being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse meant Nicole turned to dating, and eventually alcohol, to cope with the trauma. In high school, she became a mother and worked hard to graduate – leaning on the support …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 8: Meet Nicole Alkire Grady Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsApril 4, 2023
Photo of Generation Hope's Nicole Lynn Lewis with her five children
Today, Nicole Lynn Lewis is an accomplished author, CEO of Generation Hope, and mother of five. But she didn’t always feel a sense of stability and pride. When she arrived on campus with her three-month old daughter, she instantly felt out of place and didn’t know who to turn to for help. Her feelings of …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 7: Learn About Generation Hope Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsMarch 28, 2023