Porter-Leath’s Early Success Coalition recognized graduates of its Parent Leadership Training Institute cohort during a ceremony on November 20.
It was the coalition’s fourth graduating class and the first in partnership with the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County. The ceremony was held at the Porter Leath and University of Memphis Early Childhood Academy in Orange Mound.
Deaunn Stovall, the Early Success Coalition’s parent engagement manager, said that the cohort teaches parents how to become involved in community, civic and governmental activities. The program is nationally recognized for turning parents into effective leaders and advocates for their children and their community.
“The parents go through a 20-week intensive course. The class time is three hours a week for 20 weeks,” Stovall said. “They learn everything about how the state government works, the judicial system, and how local government works.
“They ask questions like: ‘What is the government? Who are my county commissioners? What is the purpose of the city council, and what is the job of the mayor?’ They learn everything to be the best civic individuals that they could be.”
Stovall said the program helps participants build advocacy skills and learn to use their voices to benefit their community.
“We embed their social and emotional intelligence in them as well,” she said. “We help the parents to become more self-aware, and understand, as a parent, what it is like to be a community leader as well.”
Each student completed a community-based project as a requirement to graduate. Some projects were based on helping the community as a whole, while others focused on helping children in need.
Graduate Fatima Killebrew said her project aimed to keep siblings together in the foster care system. She said being left without their sibling can lead to more problems in a child’s life.
“If you are a child that is being removed from your parents with no fault of your own, the expectation is you have nothing left. So your sibling is the only real connection that you had for identity,” said Killebrew.
Keeping the together, she stated, “avoids the possibility of having developmental delays. It prevents a child from growing in life and having depression outside of environmental things, not having an identity itself, or knowing where they are. Unfortunately, sometimes for single children, that is very hard to find.”
Through the cohort, Killebrew said she has learned not to be afraid to speak out on behalf of children, especially to lawmakers.
“My communication and advocacy work has allowed me to open up and (work to) change laws. We need to let our legislators and our mayors know they are appointed by us. So, not being afraid to talk to them for the cause, we have to see change is a big deal. That is what PLTI has allowed me to no longer fear,” she said.
Racheal Hart’s project, The Kindness Closet, was designed to supply children with basic necessities for school. While her project was about helping children, Hart is experiencing hardship of her own.
“I am currently unhoused, and I look at children who are currently unhoused,” she said. “Right now, my family is living in a hotel.”
“Even though we are doing our best everyday, it can be hard to get children to feel clean, confident and ready for school,” Hart added. “If the school had a program like The Kindness Closet, it would help the children feel prepared, supported and proud to walk into their class. This project is not about giving out items — it shows children that people care about them. It reminds them they are important, loved and not alone.”
Hart said the closet has provided a variety of items children need for school. “This includes soap, toothpaste, deodorant, clean clothes and other supplies,” she said. “Students can get these items quickly and without feeling embarrassed. Our goal is simply to remove problems for children to learn.”
Hart is the type of person her classmate Diamond Johnson’s project targeted to help.
Her Resilient Diamonds focuses on helping homeless individuals find housing, jobs, childcare and other resources to enable them to get back on their feet.
“The project is important because a lot of people do not know who to turn to,” Johnson said. “Homelessness causes mental health issues, health issues in general. It affects your hygiene. It also affects you spiritually and emotionally. Homelessness affects everything in general. My purpose is for families to have a stable income and housing.”
Wendy Wallace said her project, Fighting for Transparency in Tennessee — We the Records for short — was about helping people gain access to government records as a way to hold people in power accountable.
“I do not know what the issue is with people in power trying to conceal their records. Eventually, that information is going to get out. It’s only a matter of time,” Wallace said. “If you want to be the power that blocks that information from coming out, you can be that person. However, that information will eventually get out, and people will know. My organization helps with that,” she continued.
“If you get denied for records, you report it to the state. We are built on the foundation of if you get denied for records, you report it.”
The graduates presented their projects to the audience during the program. Other projects included establishment of feminine hygiene product supply closet, a male mentoring endeavor, and a support network for new mothers dealing with postpartum depression.
Several public officials lent support and encouragement to the participants.
State Sen. London Lamar congratulated the graduates for completing the program in a video message. State Rep. Justin J. Pearson spoke to the graduates and motivated others to also get involved in leadership. Judge Mitzi Pollard, magistrate of the Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County, also attended.
