I am the Rev. Denise Anderson, an ordained minister and artist based in the Washington, DC area. I am writing today not just to ask for support, but to bear witness.

I recently had the honor of hearing Dr. Shamell Bell share her story in a sacred space. What moved me most was not only her honesty about being in a season of need, but her lifelong commitment to being a source of healing, light, and liberation for others. Even as she stood in vulnerability, she stood in faith. And in that moment, others in the room began to testify too. While almost all of us felt somewhere at or near capacity, we reminded one another that we are never meant to carry burdens alone. We can be at capacity together, and that is how God sustains us through community.

At a time when over 300,000 Black women have been pushed out of or blocked from employment as DEI roles and commitments have been dismantled, I understood that her story was not just unique to her. There is the larger injustice impacting people – especially Black women – who have dedicated their lives to equity, healing, and service.

Dr. Bell is a mother, a visionary educator, filmmaker, and cultural leader whose work lives at the intersection of art, healing, social justice, and education. She holds a Ph.D. from UCLA and has taught at institutions such as Harvard University, Dartmouth College, and Berea College. She is the founder of Street Dance Activism and helped lead 44 artists around the world in the Global Dance Meditation for Black Liberation.

Her work extends into film and television, where she has served as a cultural historian and supervising producer for Apple TV+’s Emmy-nominated series Lessons in Chemistry, and as Community Engagement Producer for the film The Hate U Give. She has collaborated with artists such as Common, Dominique Fishback, Lalah Hathaway, and Esperanza Spalding, using art as a vehicle for healing, truth-telling, and transformation.

She currently serves as a visionary leader within the Debt Collective, co-founded by Hannah Appel, where she helps design healing-centered strategies for collective liberation and economic justice.

But today, this incredible woman is walking through a temporary season of financial hardship. As a single mother carrying the full financial responsibility for her 15-year-old son with special needs, she is navigating an income gap while actively seeking her next professional opportunity.

We are seeking to raise $7,500 to secure three months of stable housing. This will allow her to focus fully on obtaining employment, caring for her son, and continuing the work she has been called to do.

What I know to be true is this: Dr. Bell has spent her life pouring into others. She has helped people heal their trauma, reclaim their dignity, and believe in their own possibility. She has stood in the gap for so many. Now it is our turn to stand in the gap for her.

If you feel moved, there are several ways you can support:

• Contribute financially to help stabilize her and her son during this transition

• Connect her to opportunities in higher education, film/TV, social impact, public speaking, arts leadership, or cultural strategy

• Share this message so it reaches those who are called to help

• Keep her lifted in prayer, encouragement, and love

For more about this amazing person, click here: https://www.arts.ucla.edu/single/for-dr-shamell-bell-19-dance-is-a-tool-for-resistance-and-healing

I believe God places people in our lives so we can recognize and protect the light in one another. Dr. Bell is a light. And I am asking our village to rally around her now.

Thank you for being part of this living testimony of faith, community, and care.