A positive presence for back to school and beyond: the work of Melanated Pearl Corporation

Last fall, the nation gets familiar with Clayton County (GA). Their presence is a difference-maker in the most recent election cycle for the presidential and runoff elections for the senate.

However, a number are still getting to know the county. A nonprofit which makes a positive impact in the lives of residents there is none other than Melanated Pearl Corporation (click HERE for a point of reference).

Under the leadership of Crystal Perry, the life-long educator's community presence takes a major step forward in 2018. Given the incarceration of family members (her brothers) within a week of each other, it highlights for her how this can negatively impact Black women, including (but not limited to) loss of income, a loss in the family structure, and potential "spillover" effects. To varying degrees, there's elements of the narrative of Black women that are overlooked and not fully addressed; under the acronym of PEARL (Passionate Engaged Activists Resisting Limits) along with the parallel experience of taking trials and transforming them into triumph, this is a key underlying theme of the work they do.

With a wide range of programing and access to resources, it's about providing support to Black women and families in need. By seeking to educate, uplift, and empower Black women by providing critical services that contribute to economic stability and mobility (click HERE to visit their website), their initiatives on housing and eviction prevention, financial education, budget and credit management, and other related programming provide a key presence in a county where the largest demographic living in poverty are women (ages 25-34).

Their upcoming school supply drive is helping serve those in Riverdale-Clayton apartments as an extension of their eviction prevention programs. The bookbags are grade-level focused (items which are appropriate for their grade level) as August 1st is the scheduled distribution day. Add to it their partnership with the Urban Atlanta Metro Farm, they're able to provide food boxes along with access to resources per their programming.

Again, Clayton County (GA) is a game-changer on a national level.

On the local level, Melanated Pearl Corp is changing the game in a constructive way.