If we as a community don’t step up to help each other, then who will? SNIPES has always kept an ear to the streets with the intention of supporting growth and enabling positive change wherever we can. From our 313 Day festivities in Detroit to our Back To School giveaway in Chicago, we’ve seen the large impact that we can make for those around us by assisting our communities. Now with the inception of SNIPES SERVES spearheaded by our community council, we plan to advance our ambitions by stepping in with an even greater focus toward supporting the needs of our communities and celebrating our dynamic culture. During Black History Month, SNIPES collaborated with entrepreneurs and community leaders to amplify their causes as part of our “Making History” series. The partners that we had the pleasure of working with use their platforms to educate and empower the future innovators of their communities.
Empowering Cuts founder Josh Santiago got together with SNIPES on February 6th for a day of activating free services for the homeless. Josh created his organization in 2017 and sets up shop in areas of high homeless and drug addiction rates to provide haircuts to individuals who cannot afford them. For this activation, the homeless community received clothing, meals, and resources along with free services from barbers, hairdressers, and nail technicians. What started in Philadelphia, has expanded to California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, and Texas. Josh’s work with his non-profit enables others to see people beyond their current circumstances and offer second chances to those who need it most.
Ashley Umukoro, MPH, creator of the platform Clinic in Color, uses her voice to advance health equity and make people of color feel safe, comfortable, and confident in advocating for their healthcare at the doctor’s office. Ashley joined SNIPES February 12th at the Grand Opening of our Hamilton Heights location in New York to provide Covid tests to the community and offer information regarding inequities within the healthcare system. With her mission to help dismantle practices of systemic racism in healthcare, Ashley and Clinic in Color are building a better outlook for clinicians and patients alike.
S.J. Wilkinson created the D.E.F.Y (Determined Exceptional Fearless Youth) Mentoring Program in 2019 to achieve his goal of providing resources to young people in underserved communities. D.E.F.Y cultivates Detroit youth by exposing them to many avenues of life and helping them identify their passions and goals. Last year, The DEFY Program extended its reach by opening a community center to offer S.T.E.M education for youth including classes that teach Robotics, Coding, 3D printing, Podcasting, and Product Design and Development. By helping to ensure youth from underserved communities have access to S.T.E.M education, S.J. Wilkinson, and the D.E.F.Y mentoring Program are paving the way for the youth of Detroit to obtain and sustain a bright future.
By highlighting these causes and shedding light on local movers and shakers who create better opportunities for people of color, we hope to inspire the next generation of community leaders alongside our partners and encourage those who want to push culture forward to get involved and help make a difference. To stay in the know with future SNIPES SERVES community events and activations, follow us on our Instagram and read up on our blog posts so you can keep up with everything SNIPES.
