Dreaming Beyond Boundaries: Leadership Lessons in Black Freedom Innovation

As the co-founder and Chief Visionary Officer of the Youth Mentoring Action Network, the past three years have taught me that freedom dreaming isn't just an aspirational exercise—it's a revolutionary act of leadership. While philanthropy often claims to seek innovative leaders, the reality is that true innovation requires both audacious vision and substantial resources. For Black women leaders working alongside communities of color, freedom dreaming isn't just about innovation—it's about survival, transformation, and the radical imagination of what could be.

The pressure to conform, to tone down our visions, to "get in line" with conventional nonprofit models is constant and intense. Funders may say they want innovation, but their actions often reveal a preference for safe, predictable programs that fit neatly into existing boxes. Yet, as Black leaders, we must resist the urge to shrink our dreams to fit within these prescribed boundaries. Our communities deserve more than incremental change; they deserve revolutionary transformation.

In our organization's journey, this commitment to freedom dreaming manifested in what many considered an impossible vision: the acquisition and transformation of a one-acre estate into a youth sanctuary. This wasn't just about purchasing property; it was about creating a possibility model that challenges traditional youth work paradigms while demonstrating what Black leadership can achieve when unbound by conventional limitations.

This estate, which we call The Youth Power Hub, represents more than beautiful grounds and buildings—it's a physical embodiment of our freedom dreams. It's a space where young people from our communities can experience luxury, peace, and unlimited potential. In a world where Black and Brown youth are often confined to underfunded spaces, we've created an environment that says, "You deserve beauty. You deserve space. You deserve to dream without boundaries."

The journey to acquire and curate this space wasn't easy. We faced skepticism from traditional funders who questioned whether such an "ambitious" project was necessary for youth work. We encountered resistance from those who believed that nonprofits, particularly those led by people of color, should operate from a scarcity mindset rather than one of abundance. Yet, we persisted because we understood that freedom dreaming requires not just imagination but action—even when that action seems impossible by conventional standards.

The Youth Power Hub has become more than a physical space; it's a testament to what's possible when Black leaders refuse to conform to limited expectations. It's a model for other leaders of color who dare to dream beyond the constraints of traditional nonprofit frameworks. Our young people don't just visit a beautiful space; they witness firsthand what becomes possible when leaders who look like them dare to dream and execute boldly.

To my fellow Black leaders and leaders of color: Keep dreaming audaciously. When philanthropy suggests you should scale back your vision, dream bigger. When conventional wisdom says your ideas are too ambitious, lean into that ambition. Our communities have always thrived through our ability to imagine and create new realities, even in the face of limitation and opposition.

The work of freedom dreaming isn't just about creating new programs or spaces—it's about fundamentally reshaping what's possible in our field. It's about showing future generations of leaders that they don't have to choose between serving their communities and dreaming big. They can, and should, do both.

Our Youth Power Hub stands as proof that freedom dreams can become reality, even in a sector that often seems designed to limit rather than liberate. It's a reminder that true innovation in Black leadership isn't just about new programs or services—it's about creating new possibilities, new models, and new ways of thinking about what our communities deserve.

For those of us engaged in this work, the challenge is clear: continue dreaming, continue building, and continue pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Because in the end, our freedom dreams aren't just about us—they're about creating new realities for generations to come.