There’s a concept of the Matthew Effect which uses math to illustrate what folks have lamented about for thousands of years – the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. Take tech for example – the rich and poor often have different problems, but because it’s more profitable to solve problems for the wealthy a disproportionate share of tech innovation focuses on solving problems for the affluent. However, it doesn’t have to be this way – and we have been blown away by the thousands of members of our community who have devoted their lives through their businesses, organizations and art to serve the underserved.

Tanya Denise DeFreitas

I wanted to become a published author since I was a little girl. I loved writing and I loved going to the library. I used to dream about my books being on the shelves of the library and in bookstores all over the world. I am now living my dream! When I began my official publishing journey in 2018, I ran into a few obstacles, including finances and a lack of understanding of the process. My first book was a disappointment. Read more>>

Kimberly Boyd

Hi, I’m Kimmy- the owner of KimprintZ Quality Print Shop. This business began in the dorm room of a Historically Black College/ University- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff during my sophomore year of undergraduate studies in January 2017. Eager and engaged as a student on campus, I noticed that on-campus organizations needed: unique, custom-made tees at a quick turnaround time. Read more>>

Carolina Acosta

I started my business to create a product that I wanted for myself but realized didn’t exist. As a U.S. born Latina, I had always struggled to identify as such because assimilating at a young age to the U.S. culture made me shy away from my roots. It wasn’t until I experienced South America for the first time in 2018 that I reconnected with this identity, falling absolutely in love with everything about my culture. It was also when I met my now business associate, who introduced me to the idea of my first product, a cultural drinking game. Read more>>

Calis Finest

We have focused the last 4 years on helping to grow businesses run by people of color. Over 300 black owned businesses served. Gladly servicing the Areas of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Compton. Read more>>

Toriano Gordon

Before starting Vegan Mob I worked for Mindful Like Project. The Mindful Life Project would go to schools in underserved communities and work with the kids there. Their purpose was to teach kids how to handle the daily stresses of life by the way of mindfulness. Mindfulness is a practice to help people focus on being in the moment, particularly where their thoughts, feelings, and emotions are concerned. Read more>>

Christina Cheng-Patel

Thank you CanvasRebel for this opportunity to share about Under My Umbrella, a very small grassroots 501c3 non-profit. UMU has 3 core programs, one of which is our Neighbor Outreach program where we serve about 50-100 of our unsheltered in the DFW and surrounding areas each week. Read more>>

Chelcie Small

I am passionate about real estate investments. As a minority, there really is so much wealth strategy to be learned. Im invested in helping the underserved on their journey to build real estate portfolios. I bring my executive support background with me- providing top-tier support to each client, every time. Read more>>