by Steven Monacelli
Best Community Service Organization
Not My Son, a grassroots Black Women-led non-profit, emerged in 2020 amid local protests of the horrific murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin. Founded by native Dallasite and educator Tramonica Brown, Not My Son quickly became a leading organization in the protest movement.
Even as the large protest crowds waned, Not My Son persisted in advocating for police reforms with local elected officials and organizing dozens of protests, town halls, marches to the polls, and community clean-up events. And when reform was stalled in the face of staunch resistance at City Hall, Not My Son refused to give up. They transitioned from a laser focus on social activism and protests to a broader community activism and mutual aid approach. “Focusing on social injustices is only one piece of the puzzle,” Brown said. “We are doing community work because we want to give Black people a platform to succeed.”
A major point in this shift was the horrific freeze and power crisis in 2021 that killed an estimated 800 people across the state, displaced thousands from their homes, and cost $18 billion in damages. As state and local governments struggled to respond, local groups like Not My Son sprung to action. Their volunteer base rallied together and raised enough funds to secure temporary housing for Dallas area families displaced by the crisis. “In total we housed 600 families,” Brown told DW.
Not My Son’s work housing families received wide recognition in news media and was commended by Beto O’Rourke himself. With this momentum, they’ve worked to expand their programming and look forward to some big plans for 2022. “We’ve developed a job training program, are rolling out a GED program soon, and will continue to do our community clean-up events,” Brown said. “Every time we clean up now the community cleans up with us.”
Perhaps the biggest milestone will be the creation of a community center in South Dallas. “We’ve played with a few names and I think we’ve got it figured out,” Brown said. “That’s what I’m most excited about.”
In the meantime, Not My Son is holding their annual award and fundraising gala in March, and will continue to work for the empowerment of the Black community in Dallas. Congratulations to Tramonica Brown and the entire Not My Son team on being named the Best Community Service Organization.
If you would like to learn more about Not My Son or would like to get involved, visit their website: https://www.notmysondallas.org/
