It’s no secret that Black boys are falling behind, dropping out and, overall, becoming the underdogs of America. And as a response, one woman has decided to step up to the plate by making these young men her number one priority.
“I needed to challenge the way people look at Black boys. They are divine seeds,” said Jeanette Davis-Loeb, founder and CEO of the Rising Oak Foundation.
Davis-Loeb created the Rising Oak Foundation in Seattle, Wash., with a mission to provide funding for organizations directly targeting Black boys and men. It is the only foundation in the nation that directly works with groups of this kind.
Davis-Loeb admits the start of the organization was a result of her own dilemma. After going through a divorce, she woke up one morning and had the entire template for the Seattle-based organization in her head after realizing she was still yearning for love from her deceased father.
“I knew my father loved me, but not the way I needed to be loved,” she said.
Davis-Loeb said while her father was an extraordinary man, very involved in the community and always willing to help, he didn’t bring that same sentiment to his home life.
After talking to her brothers she realized they had the same issues, but theirs were manifested in the form of resentment and feelings of inadequacy. This sparked her flame.
“I knew I had to find a way to create a vehicle for young boys who are feeling the same thing,” she said.
A graduate of Evergreen State University and former COO of Dynamic Industries, L.L.C., Davis-Loeb is now on the warpath to give Black boys that “elusive something” that was missing in her childhood.
Any nonprofit organization working with Black boys can apply for funding. Last year was the foundation’s first official grant cycle. The group gave a $100,000 grant to the Student African American Brotherhood. The next funding cycle has already begun and nonprofits are encouraged to apply for funding.
In addition to SAAB, the foundation has also given funds to organizations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the United Negro College Fund and has supported art initiatives for urban communities in Seattle.
Erika Jackson, a life coach and member of Rising Oak’s board of directors, said the foundation seems to be really making a difference.
“We fund more nonprofits across the country who are doing well and are really affecting young Black males,” Jackson said.
Once a group has achieved funding, the Rising Oak Foundation offers a class—“Capacity Builders”—to teach them how to grow their organizations and reach their objectives.
“Many of us have these great ideas, but we don’t know how to become self-sufficient,” she said.
Through the classes, Davis-Loeb encourages business owners to “get out of their heads and get into their heart space.” She said the classes are unique in that she allows students to grow into their business rather than giving them a template or model to work with.
The classes are seven weeks long and include a live chat every Thursday evening.
The fee is $139, and anyone can participate. The foundation also offers partial scholarships.
Davis-Loeb is also planning on launching some programs to directly give back to Black boys. Among them are a right of passage program at Mt. Zion Baptist in Seattle and a philanthropic boot camp called “Teaching Our Boys to Give.”
(To learn more about the Rising Oak Foundation, log onto http://www.risingoak.org or call 206-909-9578 for more information.)
