we are

21/08/2026

Day 4 of the 3rd-5th Grade WE ARE ACTIVISTS Summer Camp

We are forever grateful to Tiffany Griffin, owner of Bright Black. ™ in Durham, and her team for the beautiful experience they curated for our WE ARE ACTIVISTS Summer Camp!  They led us through an Identity, Storytelling & Scentmaking Activity. It was STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, & math) in action! Learn more & bring this experience to your community by visiting their website at www.BrightBlackCandles.com

We also talked explicitly about some of the systems in our community, discussing how systems help and how they sometimes cause harm.

Our mentor text for the day was “Undocumented: A Worker’s Fight” by Duncan Tonatiuh

21/08/2026

We begin each day of camp rooted in joy, song, dance, and social justice chants!!! The young ACTIVISTS love doing Shabooyah Roll Call!

For Day 3 of the WE ARE ACTIVISTS Summer Camp, we talked explicitly about white supremacy, racism, and discrimination while connecting these constructs to social movements of resistance. Power is in our communities!

We read “Ruth and the Green Book” by CalvinAlexanderRamseysr1 as our centerpiece text.

21/08/2026

10 years. Nearly 7,000 books. Countless conversations about racism, identity, justice & activism. ✊🏾✊🏼✊🏾✊🏿

We’re grateful to Kara Yorio of School Library Journal for highlighting 10 years of WE ARE ACTIVISTS Summer Camps and the children and families who have been part of this journey.

Through all the shifts, challenges, and pushback, our mission and values have remained the same. And as the title says, the work continues. 💚

The nonprofit organization we are—a Durham, NC–based organization that runs a literacy-focused anti-racism summer camp and educational workshops—has given nearly 7,000 books that emphasize race, identity, skin color, and activism to campers in first through fifth grade.

09/08/2026

For Day 2 of the WE ARE ACTIVISTS Summer Camp, campers researched different social justice movements based on their selection from Monday. From Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) to Immigrant Rights, campers engaged in mad question asking as they wanted to know more!

They also used paint to create and name their own skin tone for their self-portraits. It’s important that we help kids become race conscious and move away from colorblind ideology.

We read “Malcolm Little” by Dr. i l y a s a h❌s h a b a z z.

09/08/2026

Between our Durham & Greensboro locations, we were excited to host over 50 campers for the 3rd-5th grade WE ARE ACTIVISTS Summer Camp!!

We introduced 5 different social justice movements of which campers were able to choose one as their focus for the week. They were Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI), Immigrant Rights, Teach Truth Campaign (Banned Books), LGBTQ+ Rights, Free Palestine, & Voting Rights

We read “Areli Is a Dreamer” by are Areli Morales to fuel our campers’ activism!

03/08/2026

For Day 4 of the WE ARE ACTIVISTS Summer Camp, we honored the movement. We talked explicitly about some of the systems in our community. We discussed how systems help and how they sometimes harm our community. We focused on the school-to-prison pipeline and alternatives to suspension/expulsions.

Our mentor text for the day was “Until Someone Listens: A Story About Borders, Family, and One Girl’s Mission“ by Estela Juarez, where we discussed immigration rights and activism.

We also took a field trip to Nasher Museum where our campers analyzed and asked thought provoking questions about the beautiful art exhibits! They LOVED it! Shoutout to Rakan for his patience and for making the experience fun for the campers!

consciouskids socialjusticesummer

03/08/2026

For Day 3 of the WE ARE ACTIVISTS Summer Camp, we talked explicitly about race and racism. We read “Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down” by Andrea Pinkney and used puppets to make the abstract concepts much more concrete for our young campers. Campers also talked about ways we can use our to create change!

In Durham, Dr.Griffin, a participant in the Greensboro Sit-In movement, visited our campers and shared his stories about growing up and challenging racist policies. Dr. Griffin is the grandad of longtime camp counselor Ms. Jasmyn.

In Greensboro, our young activists visited the The International Civil Rights Center and Museum.
socialjusticesummer

29/07/2026

For Day 2 of the WE ARE ACTIVISTS Summer Camp, we focused on learning about our skin color. Some students were introduced to the word “melanin.” It’s important that we help kids become race conscious and move away from colorblind ideology.

We read “All the Colors We Are” by Katie Kissinger, created our own skin tone out of paint, and gave ourselves names for our skin tones.

28/07/2026

We were more than excited to host about 85 campers this year at our 4 anti-racism WE ARE ACTIVISTS Summer Camps in Durham & Greensboro.

On Day 1 of the 1st-2nd Grade camp, we spent time getting to know our camp community. Understanding the importance of a person’s name and its connection to one’s culture was a significant part of our lesson. We read “Where Are You From?” by Yamile Saied Méndez and Jaime Kim.

We also used mirrors to create our own self portraits.

Thanks to Book Harvest for helping us put more books in the hands of young activists!

21/07/2026

Happy (Belated) Birthday to one of our incredible board members, Eric Taylor! 🎉🎂 We’re celebrating all month!

Although Eric Taylor officially joined the WE ARE Board of Directors just one year ago, he’s been a Day 1 supporter of our mission. Long before he had a board title, he believed in this work and consistently showed up for our organization.

His leadership, generosity, and willingness to leverage his relationships have helped expand our impact—including connecting WE ARE with our Ben & Jerry’s partnership through his role as a franchise owner. That collaboration has brought so much joy (and ice cream!) to our community while supporting our mission.