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Amplify POC Cape Cod

Dear Community Member:

I am writing to inform you about an initiative I’ve started to help amplify the businesses owned by People of Color (POC) in our community. After the tragic murder of George Floyd, I felt compelled to do more than attend a protest and march. As a Puerto Rican woman married to a Black man and the mother of three promising Black children, this issue was personal to me. And as a community advocate and social justice activist, several people had reached out to me wanting to support the Black community and asked for a list of Black owned businesses; after researching I realized there was no such list for the Cape Cod area, so I created one.

Along the journey of creating this list, my vision for what it could be and represent has grown.

Originally, the list began on paper as a basic list of all the businesses that I personally knew were owned by family and friends and then reached out to the community for additional input. My intent was to simply share the list as a document with anyone who wanted to support, but little did I know how monumental this list would be - both in labor and in purpose.  I have discovered that I am not only compelled to compile this list, but I am compelled to do it in a way that honors and promotes the POC-owned business community. Thus, the vision for a list, which is now in an Excel database, has grown into an initiative that is now called Amplify POC Cape Cod, which aims to not only highlight POC-owned businesses on a dedicated website but also to promote racial justice and positive progressive change on a larger scale on Cape Cod through local racial equity and educational initiatives to foster growth within and for our community.
 
Our Mission

Amplify POC Cape Cod promotes racial equity to POC owned businesses by providing resources that enhance visibility, increase patronage, and highlight their successes and contributions in order to provide sustainability and reduce the wealth gap caused by systemic racism. 

Our Vision

The vision of Amplify POC Cape Cod is to promote economic power and sustainability by eliminating the wealth gap for POC on Cape Cod with an accessible online resource of POC-owned businesses, and to provide opportunities for learning and advancement for POC in partnership with other community agencies by providing classes in financial literacy, banking relations, asset building, home ownership, and entrepreneurship.

Our Ask

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge that we are aware that COVID has taken an enormous toll on the economy and people’s finances. People who would like to support POC owned businesses and this initiative may not be able to give as much, and we are appreciative of any donation and any amount is welcome.

We are looking for sponsors to support this grassroots initiative. We are seeking monetary donations from local organizations, businesses, and community members for the following: to purchase a website domain and platform, for branding, to hire a web designer, logo, for 501C3 startup costs and labor and maintenance over time.

Our Team

To propel this initiative forward, I gathered a team of nine volunteers all of whom are women (six of whom are women of color), involved in the Cape Cod community, each with their own skill sets and all of whom are passionate about racial and social justice. Together we wrote the Mission and Vision for Amplify POC Cape Cod and together we are launching this initiative.



Jeanne Morrison, M.Ed.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisor with 35 yrs. senior management of
community programs in transportation and human services. 30 years experience strategic planning
and development of  corporate civil rights policy and procedures, training and diversity initiatives.
Current , Strategic Advisor for Cape Cod, Executive Board Cape Cod Branch NAACP,  Board Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition, Advisory Board Barnstable County Human Rights Commission, Barnstable No Place for Hate Steering Committee and Vice President of Programs and Diversity for the Cape Cod League of Women Voters. 

Amanda Converse, MPP
CEO + co-founder Love Live Local
Trustee, Hyannis Public Library
Lover of Cape Cod, champion for small businesses, defender of local economies

Ayanna Parent, LICSW RYT 200
Owner of B Free Coaching and Wellness
Trauma Specialist and Recovery Advocate
Fitness Instructor and Freedom Fighter

Katie Riconda, MPA
Community Engagement Facilitator, Boston Medical Center
Commissioner, Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission
Social Justice Advocate and Racial Justice Activist

Rasheda Mattos Dickerson
Senior Administrative Legal Assistant South Coastal Counties Legal Services,
Elder Law Project Intake Coordinator
Co Founder & Member of SCCLS Diversity Equity Inclusion Committee,
Mother of Black Sons

Rachael Devaney
Freelance Writer and Photojournalist
Social Justice Advocate and Racial Justice Activist

Amanda Mendes
Co-Owner of Adrene Jewelers,
Disability Advocate,
Forensic Psychology major,
Social Justice Advocate and Racial Justice Activist

Sunny Fellman
Realtor with Kinlin Grover Real Estate since 2009
MAR (Massachusetts Association of Realtors) Diversity, Inclusion and Member Engagement Task Force
CCIAOR Professional Standards, Finance, and Community and Member Engagement Committees
CCIAOR (Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors) Realtor of the Year 2018
Volunteer - Housing Assistance Corporation, Bay to Sound Neighbors, and Meals on Wheels

Muska Yousuf, J.D.
The Law Office of Muska Yousuf, LLC is in Hyannis and is dedicated to providing affordable, flat-fee legal services to anyone seeking assistance in Housing Court or the Probate and Family Court.

And myself,
Tara Vargas Wallace, AMPLIFY POC Founder & Executive Director
Social Justice Advocate and Racial Justice Activist
Commissioner, Cape Cod & Islands Commission on the Status of Women
Board Member of Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition, NAACP-Cape Cod, Housing Assistance Corp., and Cape Cod People Against Human Trafficking

 Checks can also be made out to and mailed to: Amplify POC Cape Cod and mailed to my attention at Amplify POC Cape Cod, PO Box 284, Hyannis, MA 02601.

For more information or If you’d like your business to be added to the directory, please email Tara at [email redacted]

 
Sincerely,

Tara Vargas Wallace

Founder & Executive Director
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Donations 

  • Stefanie Coxe
    • $200 
    • 2 yrs
  • Linda Squires
    • $100 
    • 2 yrs
  • Abby Fay Smith
    • $200 
    • 2 yrs
  • Kathleen Flynn
    • $100 
    • 2 yrs
  • Ann Lupton
    • $50 
    • 2 yrs
Donate

Organizer

Tara Wallace
Organizer
Hyannis, MA

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