CUYAHOGA COUNTY JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER X CAMPAIGN ZERO
Enlightened Solutions A U T U M N
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SAVE THE DATE | 11.14.2026 “THE LORRAINE” | CHAGRIN DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS
N E W S L E T T E R
In This Issue A NOTE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL “The Teacher in Me Is Still Listening”
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SAVE THE DATE | Nov. 2026 Enlightened Solutions Event
BRIGHT SPOTS AHEAD
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“The Lorraine” | Chagrin Documentary Film Festival Diaspora Day 2026 | Tastemakers United
SOLUTIONS IN ACTION The George Gund Foundation Trustee Tour Sip n’ Slay | New York City Congressional Black Caucus | D.C. and more!
AWARDS SEASON Endless Gratitude
CONNECT WITH US
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AUTUMN 2026
FROM THE PRINCIPAL The Teacher in Me Is Still Listening. Long before Enlightened Solutions, grant reports, press releases or convening tables, there was a small but clean Houston, Texas classroom. I began my career as a Teach For America middle school teacher in Houston, where I taught young scholars American History, Texas History, English, and poetry. Middle schoolers will humble you quickly. They are hilariously frustrating, wildly perceptive, introspective and and often far more aware of the world around them than adults give them credit for.
I loved it. 3
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Teaching changed how understood complex systems.
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They taught me that young people are experts in their lived realities and communities. They notice what works, what hurts, what feels unfair and what adults consistently miss. This summer, I connected with DeRay Mckesson at the Big Bets for America: Cleveland Conference. Through that connection, I began working with Campaign Zero and visiting the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center, including during the latest August Ambition series. Those visits left me thinking about what it means to meaningfully engage young people in detention. It takes more than creating programming for them. Young people deserve adults who are curious enough to listen, ask what they need and imagine for themselves, give their ideas weight, and refuse to reduce their lives to their most difficult chapter. And maybe that is still the teacher in me. Because the most important solutions we build may begin by asking a young person a very simple question:
What could you change if somebody actually listened?
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ENLIGHTENED SOLUTIONS
Pull Up.
We’ve Been Expecting You!
SAVE THE DATE
NOVEMBER 14
Location TBA
We are setting the table for Black Women across Northeast Ohio. Full time, location and ticket details will be shared in an upcoming social media post + email blast! 6
Bright Spots Ahead: Upcoming Engagements OCTOBER 8 AT 5:30P
“The Lorraine” | Chagrin Documentary Film Festival You may know the Lorraine Motel. But there’s so much more to this story. Enlightened Solutions is proud to serve as a first-time Community Partner of the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival for a screening of The Lorraine. This film looks beyond the tragedy to explore the Lorraine’s history as a Black cultural institution and the story of its owners, Walter and Loree Bailey. Tickets: Use code ENLIGHT26 for $2 off each ticket.
OCTOBER 17, 2026 | 1:00P
Diaspora Day Experience 2026 | Tastemakers United Enlightened Solutions is proud to support Diaspora Day, an immersive East Cleveland celebration of the cultures, traditions, and creativity of the African Diaspora. We invite the community to come together and enjoy live performances, art, food, vendors, roller skating, wellness experiences, and experiential programming! Register for Diaspora Day today!
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Solutions in Action: Recent Work + Impact JUNE 2026
The George Gund Foundation Trustee Tour
Sometimes research needs a conference room. Sometimes strategy needs a retreat. Sometimes social media questions need NYC. And sometimes NEO stories need to travel to D.C.
AUGUST 2026
“Black LGBTQ+ women aren’t safe in Cleveland, but they’re finding ways to thrive” | The Buckeye Flame
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Solutions in Action: Recent Work + Impact
AUGUST 2026
Sip N' Slay | New York City With professional development support through Philanthropy Ohio, Enlightened Solutions headed to Sip N' Slay to explore what narrative storytelling through a social media lens can look like for a 21st-century thnk tank.
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Solutions in Action: Recent Work + Impact
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Solutions in Action: Recent Work + Impact
SEPTEMBER 2026
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation 55th Annual Legislative Conference | Washington, D.C. Enlightened Solutions returned to the CBC Annual Legislative Conference for conversations on economic development, education, public health, and civil and social justice. Although this was not our first time at the conference, meeting with many policymakers, researchers, advocates, and national leaders in person made this year’s gathering especially meaningful. More to come in 2027!
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Solutions in Action: Recent Work + Impact
SEPTEMBER 2026
MetroHealth Maternal Health Symposium | Cleveland We’re grateful to Enlightened Solutions Fellow Tait Manning for representing us at MetroHealth’s 2026 Maternal Health Symposium. Tait shared Project Noir research and connected with health professionals and community stakeholders about the lived experiences and health priorities of Black Women in Northeast Ohio.
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Awards Season! Enlightened Solutions is endlessly grateful for these recognitions!
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our vision is BIG! is BIG!
We believe that Cleveland will be a national leader in racial + gender equity.
If you care about Black Women, Northeast Ohio and an opportunity rich future, you’re in the right place! enlightened-solutions.org hello@enlightened-solutions.com