For two decades, the Jeremiah Program has been helping single moms get through college and on the road to leaving generational poverty behind. That’s a lot of work, and until now, program officials haven’t found the time to step back and collectively celebrate the women’s successes.
That will change on Saturday, when registered alumni will meet at a virtual summit with a “Daring Powerfully” theme. Participants will hear keynote speeches from movement founders Tarana Burke and Mónica Ramirez and gather for virtual workshops on specific topics, such as “Overcoming Imposter Syndrome,” “Talking About Race and Parenting,” “Mapping Your Career Intentionally” and “Decolonizing Wealth.”
Burke is known as the founder of the #MeToo movement, while Ramirez is a longtime advocate for Latinas and immigrant women.
Jeremiah Program helps the women — and their children — break the treadmill of generational poverty through a combination of offering their kids quality early childhood education and providing the family with a safe and affordable place to live while mom attends college on a career track. It also empowers the family with life skills training that leads to stability and financial independence.
The Jeremiah Program, headquartered in Minneapolis, operates other Minnesota chapters in St. Paul, Rochester and Moorehead, plus campuses in Austin, Texas; and Fargo, North Dakota. It runs two non-residential sites in Brooklyn, New York and Boston. The expanding organization says it has served about 4,000 single women and their children over the years, including about 600 currently.
Program President and CEO Chastity Lord said the idea of Saturday’s summit is to encourage participants to tap into new ideas and concepts that change how single mothers “dream for their families, communities and our country.”
“This mom-led gathering will seed powerful conversation, facilitate connection and energize our community in service of our mission,” Lord said.
