How It All Began.
BRAVE Communities was founded in 2016 by Emlyn Lee to respond to the fear of cultural and racial differences in our nation. As a response to the fear in traveling and ‘other terrorist-looking cultures’ from the 9-11-01 terrorist attacks, Lee bootstrapped an international experiential travel business that was later acquired by a study abroad company. Lee returned her focus to Build Relationships Awareness Voices and Engagement (BRAVE) within communities on a domestic and local level. BRAVE has been powered by volunteers before gaining 501c(3) status and establishing a Board of Directors in April 2020.
BRAVE’s mission is to cultivate brave spaces for diverse people to come together to Build Relationships Awareness Voices Engagement so we can co-create more just and equitable communities.
This ecosystem of service — empowering the next generation of leaders to engage with and serve their communities now — has the power to transform our communities, help to disrupt the cycle of poverty, by raising awareness of the insidious impacts of systemic racism and unequal opportunity and access.
DEI Statement:
We desire to live in a world characterized by justice, freedom, equality, accessibility, and love. We believe it is vital for all people, especially youths, to have as diverse of a network as possible (ie: race/ethnicity, faith/spiritual, socio-economic, etc) to overcome systemic and societal biases. We are constantly (un)learning, relearning, and evolving so we may grow and strengthen ourselves, our team, and our community. We look forward to being on this B.R.A.V.E. journey together.