We Are

The organization’s services focus on left-of-center ideas on race derived from critical race theory in education. It also holds summer camps on “racial identities” for first to fifth-grade children, and offers grants, which range from $500 to $1,500 to pre-K12 educators to support “projects that disrupt racial discipline disparities” and “the creation of racial equity teams” in schools across North Carolina. ^{1 2}

Background

Working to Extend Anti-Racist Education, commonly referred to as We Are, is a nonprofit consultancy organization based in Durham, North Carolina. We Are was founded in 2018 by Ronda Taylor Bullock, a former teacher at public schools in Durham and former university supervisor for the Master of Arts Teaching Program at Duke University. ³

We Are holds workshops, consultations, and training for educators, families, and children, with a focus on left-of-center views on race aligned with critical race theory. It holds summer camps for first to fifth-grade children, focusing on developing “racial identities.” In the summer of 2021, We Are orchestrated four summer camps in the Durham and Greensboro areas of North Carolina. ²

The organization also offers grants, which range from $500 to $1,500, to pre-K12 educators to support “projects that disrupt racial discipline disparities” and “the creation of racial equity teams” in schools across North Carolina. ¹

We Are operates in the Chatham County, Durham County, Lee County, Orange County, and Wake County school districts of North Carolina. ¹

Funding

We Are receives funding from community donations, program service fees, and grants from other nonprofit organizations. According to its tax filings, We Are received a total revenue of $160,434 in 2019; $1,209 from contributions and gifts, and $159,225 from program service revenue. The organization’s total expenses amounted to $74,149. We Are spent $17,173 on salaries and $26,100 on professional fees. ⁴

Its total revenue slightly increased in 2020, amounting to a total of $176,079. The group received $61,018 from contributions, gifts, and grants, and $115,061 from program service revenue. The organization’s expenses also increased with a total expense amount of $115,677. Salaries and other employee benefits rose to $40,999 and professional fees also increased to $52,387. ⁵

We Are received a grant of $125,000 from The William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust for anti-racism training in three Durham public schools, Eastway Elementary, E.K. Powe Elementary, and Southwest Elementary. The organization also received a $5,000 seed grant from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as part of its CUBE project. ⁶

We Are notes partner and contributor organizations on its website, although it does not detail any contributions. Organizations that are listed include Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, which supports left-progressive causes by partnering with left-of-center nonprofit organizations and advocating for left-wing social and environmental policy implementation. Another large organization that partners with We Are is the Starbucks Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Starbucks Corporation. ⁷

Other organizations listed are Village of Wisdom, Empowered Parents In Community, CAHEC, Parents of African American Children, The William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, The Samuel Dubois Cook Center on Social Equity, North Carolina Central University, and Durham Public Schools. ⁸