This column originally appeared in the Michigan Advance on November 9, 2019.
This year, I was selected to become a 2019 Skillman BMe Vanguard Fellow. The Vanguard Fellowship is an elite leadership experience designed and facilitated by leading global authorities on social innovation, media, public policy, narrative, race and culture.
The fellowship program is sponsored by BMe Community, an award-winning national network of social innovators, leaders and champions who invest in aspiring communities.
I was honored and elated to join this fellowship because of the rich legacy and work of BMe Community. Years ago, I was connected to BMe through the work of my father-in-law, Lewis A. Colson Sr. In 2013, Colson was awarded a BMe Leadership Award and a $10,000 grant to go towards his social enterprise, Project: Betterman Incorporated (PBMI). PBMI was a prostate cancer education, advocacy and awareness organization he created after being diagnosed with the disease himself.
Working with my father-in-law as the deputy director of PBMI, I was able to engage and learn from the BMe network. I learned the importance of driving an asset frame narrative about Black men. Asset framing is an award-winning approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, which calls for defining people by their aspirations and contributions, not by the negative circumstances they may face.
Sadly, in 2014, Colson passed away as the result of stage 4 prostate Cancer. That same year, I was motivated to apply for the Vanguard Fellowship but was turned away. I was forced to go back to the drawing board of defining who I was and what would be the scope of my work. After a few years of meaningful work experience and leadership training, I was given the opportunity to become a BMe leader.
BMe’s Vanguard Fellowship is a six-month intensive training taught by the top leaders in their fields from BMe, The Aspen Global Leadership Network, The OpEd Project, Color of Change, PolicyLink and The Raben Group and is based on the research and insights of Nobel Laureates and global authorities in their fields.
In partnership with the Skillman Foundation, the Detroit Vanguard Fellows are invested in Detroit’s future. Our charge is to change the narrative around the image of the youth, teens and young adults. We are the next generation of leaders, influencers and movers and shakers in the city of Detroit. We are passionate about providing a political, entrepreneurial and educational platform for the next generation of Detroiters to lead, serve and impact their community.
Asset framing is a key part of the fellowship’s work. Asset framing shifts narratives away from crisis and deficit and focuses on potential and worth. It helps remove harmful stigmas and negative associations and replace them with positive definitions, and it’s crucial in the pursuit of racial equity. Asset framing is particularly vital for Black men and how we think about ourselves, how we treat our peers and how we work to lift up the next generation.
Through the fellowship, I’ve been emboldened to use my voice to promote policy changes, conduct research to build platforms that encourage economic empowerment, and pursue the work of building a technology think tank that assesses the creation, consumption and impact of technology in urban communities.
The culminating event for the 2019 Fellowship was the BMe Next Narrative Conference in Louisville, Ky. Last month, more than 300 BMe fellows, partners and supporters from around the country gathered to connect, celebrate the end of half a year of extensive training and move forward into the future to change communities, the country and our world. I am the #NextNarrative for Detroit and I will use the power of my voice, my network and the community to leave a legacy of action and service in the city of Detroit.
But I need all the partners in this work that I can get, and this asset-framing mindset has been equally valuable in my community engagement efforts in the Detroit area for the Michigan League for Public Policy — and in the League’s work as a whole. That’s why the League is bringing in Trabian Shorters, the founder of BMe and the leading authority on asset framing in the country, to headline our public policy forum, “Reframe and Reclaim: Addressing Racial Equity through Asset Framing.”
The forum will begin at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Radisson Hotel in Lansing, and will feature Shorters’ keynote address and several breakout sessions to dive deeper into asset framing. This approach has been invaluable as I work personally and professionally to improve the narratives around Detroit, young black men and public policy, and I hope others will join us on Tuesday to learn more about this important tool.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Jacob Kaplan 
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Donald Stuckey 
Patrick Schaefer
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Amber Bellazaire joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a policy analyst in June of 2019. Her work primarily focuses on state policy and budgets affecting Michigan’s Medicaid programs. Previously, Amber worked at the National Conference of State Legislatures tracking legislation and research related to injury and violence prevention, adolescent health, and maternal and child health. She also brings with her two years of Americorps service. As a full time volunteer, Amber had the opportunity to tutor high school students in Chelsea, Massachusetts and address issues of healthcare access and food insecurity through in-person outreach in Seattle, Washington.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
