CAI is a non-profit corporation
Founded in 2005
The foundation grew out of a lifetime of community service by founder Lee Cameron, Jr. Our experience-based data spans over 20 years living and working in Gary, IN. Gary has faced severe challenges over the last fifty years, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and is considered comparable to most distressed urban areas in the United States. CAI working with other Collaborative Leaders, has developed and implemented many traditional publicly funded programs.
Based on the current state of Black youth and young adults, any impact these programs might have made seems “illusory change” at best. Disparities in education, training, health, economic opportunity, and access to justice continue to increase, and resources available to confront those challenges have not kept pace with the expanding needs.
In hindsight, these youth-based, young-adult, and family-based programs were not structured to comprehend the complexity of the barriers faced by the targeted population of Black participants. Although these programs appeared to be culturally appropriate, involving a cross-section of community members, the community-at-large never brought-in or adapted to the initiatives. There was a sense of distrust by the targeted population that, in three to five years, CAI and our collaborators would be gone, and the distressed community would remain unchanged. Unfortunately, that is exactly what occurred, in most cases, for one reason or another.
It’s been an ongoing task to research and evaluate these programs in an effort to deepen our understanding of the targeted population and communities. During this period, CAI has looked back on our many years of experience implementing programs, coaching youth sports programs, and providing services to Disconnected Young Adults living in public housing.
The Black Moms Can Initiative, which CAI is launching with the book Black Moms Can, is the result of our years of data collecting and research. Empowering Black Moms, the most influential person in the lives of most Disconnected Young Adults, by providing the tools and training that will help them achieve financial stability is a new approach to an old problem. CAI will accomplish Economic Sustainability for Black Families by harnessing the power of E-Commerce.
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