SEASON 3, BONUS EPISODE
icon-play_lgListen

Bonus Episode: Taking her seat at the table: “It’s about time!”

Having the courage and confidence to take on leadership isn't always easy, but in the case of Mashonda Taylor, Executive Director of Woodlawn Foundation and Valencia King, president of the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association in Birmingham, Alabama's Woodlawn neighborhood, it was inevitable. This conversation reveals the influence strong, Black, female leaders are having in the Woodlawn community in Birmingham, AL. Their collaboration and partnership is helping to bring about holistic community revitalization and creating healthier places for residents. Listen

Download
Embed
<iframe style="border: none" src="https://player.fireside.fm/v1/bOEoGHLg+jCD7m3sx"" height="200" width="740" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Click Embed to Copy

Read

Jill Biden visits Woodlawn in Birmingham, Alabama

On April 9, 2021, Dr. Jill Biden visited the James Rushton Early Learning Center and a YWCA in Birmingham, hosted by Purpose Built Network Member Woodlawn Foundation. Biden spoke about how the administration’s $1.9 trillion stimulus law can help address child poverty. Both centers she visited run Head Start programs that benefit from the law. “This pandemic will not break us,” Biden said in her remarks. “I know that you would do anything for your child. You want to give them the world. Every parent does.” … Continue Reading →

SEASON 3, EPISODE 5
icon-play_lgListen

A Conversation with Mashonda Taylor, Executive Director, Woodlawn Foundation

We are actually solving the problems that we've been wanting to solve for a long time and thinking innovatively and not looking at barriers so much anymore. Hear more about how Woodlawn Foundation is serving as the stable force in a historic Birmingham, Alabama neighborhood amidst the pandemic, convening community partners to help them pivot and adjust. Listen

Download
Embed
<iframe style="border: none" src="https://player.fireside.fm/v2/bOEoGHLg+RoeiQgbD?theme=dark" height="200" width="740" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Click Embed to Copy

SEASON 2, EPISODE 6
icon-play_lgListen
Atlanta / East Lake Foundation,  Raleigh / Southeast Raleigh Promise,  Tulsa / Growing Together

Leading with Equity

Building racial, social and health equity in communities of concentrated poverty is not an unrealistic dream - it's happening in real-time across the Purpose Built Communities network. A group of thoughtful leaders from diverse backgrounds in different cities have moved from talking to leading with equity.

Michelle Matthews, Senior Vice President at Purpose Built Communities, moderated a discussion in Orlando in 2018 with the first cohort of Equity Ambassadors - Kia Baker of the Southeast Raleigh Promise, Kirk Wester of Growing Together in Tulsa, Danny Shoy of the East Lake Foundation in Atlanta, and Sally Mackin of Woodlawn United in Birmingham. Listen

Download
Embed
<iframe style="border: none" src="https://fireside.fm/player/v2/bOEoGHLg+VL42_Ucs" height="200" width="740" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Click Embed to Copy

Read
Columbus / PACT,  Orlando / LIFT Orlando,  Spartanburg / Northside Development Group

From My Perspective: We Can’t Bypass Discussions About Race

By Michelle L. Matthews Senior Vice President, Purpose Built Communities “White boys who grow up rich are likely to remain that way,” summarized a recent New York Times article about an Equality of Opportunity Project study. “Black boys raised at the top, however, are more likely to become poor than to stay wealthy in their … Continue Reading →

Read

Putting Our Future in the Bank (Literally and Figuratively)

It’s ironic that the James Rushton Early Learning and Family Success Center in Birmingham, Alabama’s Woodlawn neighborhood is inside of a bank building that has been vacant for more than 20 years – because the children who crawl, toddle and walk down these bright hallways are now on a path designed to guide them from here to college, and to build wealth and fulfillment throughout their lifetimes. … Continue Reading →
Watch

Video Tour of the Woodlawn United Initiative in Birmingham, AL 2016

Woodlawn United is a holistic neighborhood transformation effort underway in Birmingham, AL utilizing the Purpose Built Communities Model. The Woodlawn Foundation is the community quarterback guiding this effort with partners and is a member of the Purpose Built Communities Network. This video debuted at the 7th Annual Purpose Built Communities Conference in Birmingham, AL on October 17, 2016. Watch
Watch

Tour of Woodlawn

Birmingham’s Woodlawn United Initiative is well underway implementing the Purpose Built Communities Model utilizing best practices and home-grown innovations. See their work up close! Watch