“I feel like I have a personal responsibility as the son of immigrants to be a trailblazer and create opportunities for other people who will come after me, who look like me, who are Black men in particular. I recognize and acknowledge the sacrifices that my parents have made and for the life that they have built for me and my family. But I would like to do the same and create those opportunities for my future family. By putting myself as minority in situations where I can interact with people who don’t look like me, it creates opportunities for others to learn and listen and recognize that the face of America isn’t always what just one group of people might be used to. It includes inclusion and diversity and learning." -Musie
“My hope for the future is that we get to a place where these efforts don’t have to be so intentional, and that’s not to say that it’s not important to be intentional. But I think we’ll know when we’ve been successful when it kind of happens naturally and we’re able to rub shoulders and collaborate and just be a part of each other's lives in a more natural way." -Adri
“I would hope that my future children will love people unconditionally like I do, and just be a friend. Be open to listening to people of all colors, of all backgrounds, and just to be a safe space for people. And my hope for America is just that we can listen to other people. Be a friend. I know that not everyone agrees with everything and you’re not always going to understand where people come from, but it’s okay to just listen and just to be a listening ear." -Abigail