Instituto

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Thank you to everyone who showed up to the Black Emergence: Traveling Mercy to the Desert Sun film premiere at the Living Black Worlds Festival, hosted by Black River Life!

Our Executive Director, Shelley — alongside her Aunt Debra, Thryd Space Co-Founders Chris and Laila, and Assistant Archivist of Black Collections at Arizona State University, Jessica — shared their stories of memory, migration, and Black matriarchs. After the premiere, we asked audience members to ask each other: who taught them what community looks like, and when was the last time they had a real conversation with an older or younger loved ones?
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There were many tears, hugs, laughter, and memories shared that we'll cherish forever. :heartpulse:
We're excited to continue the Black Emergence project. Stay tuned for what's next!

A special thank you to:
☀️ Black River Life, Black Emergence film collaborator + festival host
☀️ Chris + Laila, moderators from
☀️ Jessica, panelist from ASU Library Community Driven Archives
☀️ Debra + Jackson Family
☀️ Shaunté Glover (), event photographer
☀️ Trinity Miracle () & Instituto Team, altar set up + stage support

We’re excited to share that our Executive Director, Shelley Jackson, will be speaking at the Celebration of Arizona’s Public Schools (CAPS) hosted by the SOS Arizona Network.

This gathering brings together educators, advocates, and community leaders who believe in the power of strong public schools and the communities that sustain them. Shelley will join other Arizona leaders in reflecting on the importance of education, community leadership, and the future we’re building together.

If you’re attending, be sure to stop by and say hello! We’d love to see you there.

🔗 Learn more or get tickets: https://www.sosaznetwork.org/caps/

Instituto was on the radio!
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Our Executive Director, Shelley, appeared on KJZZ, Phoenix's NPR radio station, to discuss her family's story of migration from the Jim Crow South to South Phoenix and the upcoming film premiere of "Black Emergence: Traveling Mercy to the Desert Sun". Shelley talked about her grandma, Black matriarch Mcdell Otha Jackson, being her muse for the Black Emergence documentary. Even after the loss of her grandma and family members moving due to gentrification in South Phoenix, she carried a deep responsibility to bring her family together — reshaping what the future of their family looks like. The interview is beautiful and moving, honoring Phoenix's Black history, and inspires folks to reconnect with their loved ones. You can listen to the full interview with KJZZ Journalist Lauren Gilger.

✨ Final Panelist Announcement ✨

Join us for Black Emergence: Traveling Mercy to the Desert Sun — get your ticket at instituto.io/calendar.

We’re honored to welcome Jessica Salow, Assistant Archivist of Black Collections at ASU Library, whose work preserves and uplifts Black history and memory in Arizona.

📍 Saturday, Feb. 28 | 12–2 PM

Come be part of Living Black Worlds, a powerful close to Black History Month. 🖤

Arizona is home to phenomenal Black leaders like our Monzón Fellowship Alumni. They are rooted in their heritage and histories. They are community leaders who do everyday actions to work, educate, and imagine to create change for the future.

Today, this month, and beyond, we're celebrating 2023 Alum Tearanie for sharing her story from her Southern to Midwestern roots to her vision for Black communities in 2126.

✨ Meet the Panelists ✨

We’re excited to share that Shelley and Debra, who are featured in Black Emergence: Traveling Mercy to the Desert Sun, will be joining the post-screening conversation.

At the heart of Black Emergence is family and the women who hold its memory. Come for the film, and stay to experience the full Living Black Worlds festival happening all day Friday and Saturday.

Film Screening & Discussion:
🗓 Saturday, Feb 28
🕛 12:00–2:00 PM
📍 Downtown Phoenix
⭐ Reserve your free ticket at instituto.io/calendar

Arizona is home to phenomenal Black leaders like our Monzón Fellowship Alumni. They are rooted in their heritage and histories. They are community leaders who do everyday actions to work, educate, and imagine to create change for the future.

Today, this month, and beyond, we're celebrating 2025 Alum Natalie for sharing her story, her favorite Black-authored books, and her Black future vision for the 200th anniversary of Black History Month.

✨ Meet the Black Emergence: Traveling Mercy to the Desert Sun Panel Moderators and Hosts ✨

After the screening, stay for a conversation with the community members, artists, archivists, and South Phoenix storytellers who help carry Black Arizonans' history forward. From matriarchs preserving family memory to cultural workers creating spaces for belonging, this panel explores how land, care, and legacy shape who we are and who we become together.

Join us in honoring the stories that anchor generations and keep memories alive. This screening is part of a two-day festival starting hosted by Black River Life.

🗓 Saturday, Feb 28
🕛 12:00–2:00 PM
📍Downtown Phoenix
⭐ Reserve your free ticket at instituto.io/calendar

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. What began in 1926 as a weeklong observance created by historian Carter G. Woodson to uplift and educate people about Black history later grew to be the month we honor today.

Arizona is home to phenomenal Black leaders like our Monzón Fellowship Alumni. They are rooted in their heritage and histories. They are community leaders who do everyday actions to work, educate, and imagine to create change for the future.

Today, this month, and beyond, we're celebrating 2021 Alum Sakina for sharing her story, her favorite Black-authored book, and the Black future she's dreaming about.

In 2025, our communities did not retreat. Leaders stepped forward.
Last year was filled with stories of achieving milestones, navigating challenges, and working for and with our communities through rising unemployment and political uncertainty. Our multi-entity organization, Instituto Lab (501(c)(3)) and Instituto Power (501(c)(4), welcomed a new cohort of Monzón Fellows, trained aspiring candidates, convened and coached direct-service leaders, and more.
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You can read all about our organization’s stories in our yearly Impact Report!
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Explore the report: bit.ly/25-report or link in bio.