OUR KINGS

09/02/2026

THIS IS PERSONAL. 🖤💛

Thank you to everyone who shared, supported, prayed, brought your children, and stood with us at STAND FOR HIM.came from a place of grief, anger, confusion, and honestly, feeling defeated.

We watched the family of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton fight for justice after their son was chased and shot in the back.

Then came Karmelo Anthony.

Then Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old whose family was left searching for answers after he went out with friends and never came home.

And it felt like the stories just kept coming.

More Black boys and men.
More families grieving.
More unanswered questions.
More racial violence.
More troubling encounters with law enforcement.More. More. More‼️‼️

At some point, you have to ask yourself: What are we going to do besides repost it?

Our ancestors marched. They organized. They fought. They sacrificed. Some gave their lives believing the generations after them would not have to continue fighting these same battles.

I am not Martin Luther KingJr,Malcolm X,Angela Davis, Huey P. Newton, or Bobby Seale.I am just a mother.

The granddaughter of a man who brought his family from Mississippi to California so they could walk down the street without fear.

Because of what he sacrificed, and because of what our ancestors endured, I refuse to let us go backward.

I refuse to believe reposting another tragedy, saying how terrible it is, and then moving on to the next reel is enough.

Because while we are mourning the boys we’ve lost…

OUR BOYS ARE STILL HERE.
And they are watching us🖤💛

They need to see their village show up before tragedy, during the difficult moments, and not only after something happens.

They need us advocating, mentoring, asking questions, protecting them, listening to them, loving them, and standing beside them.

One gathering around a fire won’t change everything. We know that.But STAND FOR HIM was never meant to be the finish line.

It was our starting point.

Our ancestors did their part.

Now it’s our turn to continue the work.

WE STAND FOR HIM. 🖤

Thank you to the OUR KINGS team and to Freedom2Succeed Core 6 Freshly Faded Barber + Shop for saying yes ✊🏾

08/29/2026

Hey village!
Check this out 🖤💛

Considering Elevate Scholars for your scholar? 🎓

Come discover what makes the Elevate Scholars experience different.

Join us for a FREE virtual Prospective Family Information Session designed for students and families who want to learn more before taking the next step.

We’ll share how Elevate Scholars supports scholars through college admissions, scholarships & financial aid, career pathways, and the journey beyond admission — with personalized guidance every step of the way.

You’ll also hear directly from Elevate Scholars students and parents, learn how the enrollment process works, and have an opportunity to ask questions.

📅 Wednesday, September 2, 2026�🕕 6:00 PM PT | 9:00 PM ET�💻 Virtual via Zoom�✨ FREE | Registration Required

Scan the QR code to register or use the registration link in the comments.

We look forward to welcoming prospective scholars and families!

Join. Grow. Launch.

08/25/2026

Research has shown that the school-to-prison pipeline is real—and the patterns that contribute to it can begin as early as preschool.

The school-to-prison pipeline describes policies, disciplinary practices, and biases that can push children—disproportionately Black boys—out of supportive learning environments through suspension, exclusion, repeated discipline, and negative labeling rather than addressing their developmental needs.

For some Black boys, these patterns can begin before they can even read.

It can start with normal preschool behavior being viewed as aggressive instead of energetic.

A child is expected to “know better” instead of being taught better.

His big emotions are labeled as defiance rather than communication from a child who is still learning how to regulate.

One child receives a conversation, redirection, and another opportunity to try again, while he receives a consequence.

Words like “aggressive,” “disruptive,” and “defiant” can quickly become attached to his name without anyone stopping to ask what his behavior is communicating.

Over time, adults can begin seeing a problem that needs to be controlled instead of a child who needs to be understood, taught, and supported.

He is 3,4 or 5 years old.

At this age, children are still learning emotional regulation, impulse control, communication, conflict resolution, and social skills.

These are skills we are supposed to teach them—not skills we should expect them to have already mastered.

Before we ask Black boys to change their behavior, we must also examine the environments educating them, the disciplinary practices being used, and the perceptions adults bring into the classroom.

Black boys deserve the same opportunity to learn, make mistakes, receive grace, and simply be little boys.

08/20/2026

I just want to take a second or two to really thank the incredible team behind OUR KINGS. As we move into the next chapter of OUR KINGS with a new cohort and new goals it made me sit and think just how honored I am to have you by my side.

You ALL have helped build something that has grown way beyond what many could ever imagine. With me having a new ideas and goal at every meeting, 🤣🤦🏾‍♀️You all have never said "we can't do that!" Because you believed just like me our boys deserve it all! And we can make it happen🫶🏾 & for that I appreciate you for believing in the mission and standing beside me every step of this unbelievable journey.

It's hard to imagine we started as a small meetup of just 10 boys—simply trying to create a space where Black boys could be free, have fun, and just be kids. To become this recognized organization. With 60 young KINGS enrolled in our cohort program, our in-school program in district across San Diego county.

We have grown from one class group to four—one for each age group—allowing us to support our boys throughout every stage of their journey from boyhood to manhood. For a grassroots organization, that is pretty powerful.💪🏾👏🏾

Because don’t have big money behind us, major sponsors, or well-known names on our board. We just have us—parents and community members who truly believe that our boys deserve to grow up surrounded by love, culture, brotherhood, and real support.

And because of each of you, I’m so grateful for where OUR KINGS started and even more excited about where we’re headed. This is going to continue to be an amazing ride and I’m truly thankful to have you by my side. 🖤💛

Current Team:
Founder : Anya Anya D Owensbrown
Director of Education: Jordan Jordan Brown
Administrative Assistant: Alexandria Alexandria Rollan
KINGS to KINGS lead teacher: Aaron Aaron Adkins
Lead of literature: Dametrius Dametrius Bedgood
Community engagement: Kimberly Kimberly Pierce

OUR DAY 1's
Janell Janell L. Davis Delaney
Janessa
Debra Debbie Elfant Feinberg
Brandon Flowers angels guardian angel
Ramisi Ramisi Briggs
Brandi Brandie Blue
Christina

08/17/2026

When you think of brotherhood, what comes to mind?

At OUR KINGS, brotherhood means showing up for one another, standing side by side, holding each other accountable, and celebrating every win. Having each others back.

Yesterday, we hosted our Brotherhood Building Field Day. The beginning of our 9 month cohort- a day intentionally designed to strengthen teamwork, build meaningful connections, and develop a deeper understanding of brotherhood.

We closed the day with an OUR KINGS tradition: each young KING wrote his name on the back of his brothers’ shirts. Every name symbolized a commitment to stand behind one another—not only during the program, but throughout life.

It was a powerful reminder to every young KING: You are not alone. You have a tribe. You have a village. && most importantly you have a brotherhood.

If you know of a young KING in need of a brotherhood contact us at [email protected] or check out our website @ ourkings.org for the 411 🖤💛.

08/17/2026

Imagine entering a world where you feel you have to prove that you belong. Who you are before you actually know yourself.

A system created to educate, support, and protect you, yet your behavior may be perceived differently, your emotions misunderstood, and your mistakes given less grace.

Now imagine navigating that at just 11, 12, or 13 years old.

Middle school is already a major transition—new expectations, changing friendships, growing independence, identity development, and academic pressure.

For Black boys, there is a silence, an additional weight: becoming more aware of how the world sees and responds to them.

That weight can show up as being guarded, quiet, frustrated, disconnected, or trying to make themselves smaller.

LOOK BEYOND THE BEHAVIOR‼️

•Listen before correcting.
•Ask questions before assuming.
•Build relationships with teachers before problems arise.
•Teach him how to advocate for himself.
•Hold him accountable without taking away his voice.
•Affirm his identity at home.
•Give him space to still be a child.

Prepare him for the world without teaching him to fear it.

This is the weight our boys carry—and they should never have to carry it alone.

08/11/2026

We outside...
This weekend, we welcomed 40 new families into the OUR KINGS village! 🖤💛

It was a day of building, connecting, and growing together as a community. With family team-building games, good food, music, and a whole lot of laughs!

Our returning families welcomed our new families with open arms, our boys immediately started building brotherhood, and our new volunteers got to experience firsthand what OUR KINGS is all about.

This is what the OUR KINGS village looks like. Families connecting. Brotherhood building, and Community showing up for one another.

Welcome to the village, Cohort 2!

📸: Kalilah Yaya Thank you for capturing the essence of OUR KINGS

08/10/2026

Join us as we STAND FOR HIM in community.

If you are in a place of exhaustion, broken hearted, tired, lost on what to do next or even angry because of everything that has been occurring for our boys. We ask you join us as we come together in community. For a night of engagement, love, healing and hope. Our boys need to know we stand with them and their village is here beside them.

This isn’t a night about sadness. It’s about community, strength, love, and reminding our boys that we stand with them.

📅 August 29
⏰ 6:00–8:30 PM
📍 Paradise Point | 1404 Vacation Rd

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Bonfire • Community bonding • Music • Words of encouragement • Candlelight tribute • Black Boy Joy

Hosted by OUR KINGS in collaboration with Freshly Faded Barbershop, Core 6, and Freedom2Succeed.

The whole family welcome 🖤💛
Attendance registration link in Bio