We are Communities of Rooted Brilliance
Communities of Rooted Brilliance (CRB) partners with newcomer communities and helps them thrive through educational opportunities and social support services, while also honoring their traditional customs.
Our communities are immigrant and refugee families from the diverse, multiethnic communities of Afghanistan, Burma Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Angola, El Salvador, and Mexico.
Our beginnings
We began in 2009, then known as the Coalition for Refugees from Burma. Our work at that time centered around helping refugees from Burma survive the trauma of resettlement from a jungle war zone or detention camp to an extremely dissimilar urban culture.
Over time, we found that our work was deeply needed within many newcomer communities, so our mission adapted and we changed our name to Communities of Rooted Brilliance to better reflect our partnerships.
The current need
Today, 100% of our clients are English Language Learners (ELLs) whose native languages include Spanish, Arabic, Dari/Farsi, Somali, Burmese, Amharic, French, Lingala, Kinyarwanda, and more. These communities are low-income, traditionally underserved, and come from regions where access to educational opportunities were very limited.
The barriers and systemic challenges these newcomer communities continue to face in the United States are complex and limit these communities’ abilities to access the resources and knowledge needed to live healthy, safe, and happy lives in this country.
Our mission
CRB helps newcomer communities heal, grow, and thrive through our early learning, youth engagement, and family support programs. Our work is centered around three foundational concepts.
- The families we serve are partners in our work, and we continually seek out their knowledge and wisdom on the services we offer.
- Our programs are always education-based because we believe that education is the way to a healthier and happier future.
- We honor and recognize that dedicated leadership exists within each community, and we partner with these leaders to serve their communities in culturally responsive ways.
Since 2009, we have proudly partnered with about 500 South King County residents annually. Today, we continue to provide programming to engage the whole family, from pre-kindergarten to adulthood.
