Sisterhood of success
Mentorship nonprofit lifts up members graduating from high school
Five recent high school graduates donned their caps and gowns for a senior celebration night in their honor. They stood in the dining room at the Pompeii Italian Grill as Brandi Coleman called their names and colleges they would attend.
Azaniah Parker-bethany has a full ride to the University of Houston. Fatimah Rasul, the first in her family to go to college, will attend Howard University. Madison Jones is going to Prairie View A&M University. Clarissa Tavera will study at the University of Texas at San Antonio and Kamarie Crawford at the University of Texas at Austin.
Eighteen family members, friends and supporters applauded when Coleman said, collectively, the girls received more than $1 million in college scholarships. She presented each graduate with a small lemon tree, a symbol of a select sisterhood they joined two years ago. Tags attached to the saplings said, “The Tassel Was Worth The Hassle.”
The graduates are members of The Lemonade Circle, a nonprofit Coleman founded to mentor and empower girls of color from the fifth to the 12th grades. The nonprofit includes a threemember board and advisory council members/empowerment leaders.
“We wanted to celebrate them,” Coleman said. “They
“I credit them on being resilient, having grit and tenacity. ... They were motivated by themselves.” Brandi Coleman, founder of The Lemonade Circle
really did the most work and were most productive during the pandemic, (something) that added to their resumes. We are continuing to use this as motivation for other girls to stay involved.”
Coleman, a 22-year educator, wanted to mentor young girls as teachers counseled her growing up on the East Side. It was during the early to mid-90s, a time of high crime and drug rates, but also an outpouring of pride and support from churches and youth clubs.
She learned to strive from elementary teachers and the late Donald Mcclure, an educator and principal who required students to memorize college-level poetry.
“The level of confidence he gave us early made me want to become a leader,” Coleman said.
Teaching at Dorie Miller Elementary School inspired her. She reached out to the principal at Davis Middle School, where her students would attend. He connected her with a parent liai
son who gathered five girls, A and B students, who made good choices, “but no one ever saw them.”
In 2017, Coleman met with four sixth-graders on track to being leaders on campus and one eighthgrader. She extended their education beyond their classrooms, taking them to venues that included ballet performances and the Mcnay Art Museum. She called the group “The Lemonade Circle,” after “Lemonade,” Beyonce’s popular album that celebrates Black sisterhood.
“I saw the resilience that her album had,” Coleman said. “It was equivalent to Thriller in the 1980s.”
In 2020, the membership went from 14 to 40 girls. Coleman said the members really became involved with questions about the pandemic and the killing of George Floyd in police custody. As their senior year approached, Coleman helped with resumes and wrote recommendation letters, but she said the girls helped one another and had support from their parents.
‘Grit and tenacity’
“I credit them on being resilient, having grit and tenacity,” Coleman said. “They were motivated by themselves, very selfguided and self-led.”
The honorees and guests closed out the dinner with photos in the restaurant lobby. Coleman helped the graduates straighten their caps and sashes lined with the words “#Makelemonade” and “Lemonade Circle 2022.”
Azaniah Parker-bethany said she enjoyed volunteering and distributing mental health boxes to various local high schools.
“It was a really good experience,” she said, “especially during the pandemic.”
Fatimah Rasul, the first in her family to go to college, said that everyone was so welcoming during their first online meeting. Madison Jones said before joining Lemonade, she was wary about talking to strangers and advocating for herself.
“It’s helped me be more proactive,” she said. “And have more initiative for my future.”
Kamarie Crawford said their mentor built up their character and taught them to lead.
“You can tell Miss Brandi has a lot of love for us,” Kamarie said. “She wants to see us succeed, and that means a lot.”
Clarissa Tavera said the sisterhood was eye-opening and gave her confidence. Tavera’s mother, Crystal Aranda, 38, said the experience definitely opened her horizon.
“She was very quiet, not outspoken,” Aranda said. “They’ve definitely encouraged her to speak up more.”
‘Change the world’
Dana Jones, 40, said The Lemonade Circle has greatly benefited her two daughters, members since the start of COVID. She said the nonprofit gave her girls a place to vent, interact socially and engage in civic activities.
“I know that played a huge part in her college acceptance,” Jones said. “They were doing some serious work for the African American and brown community. There was a lot of empowerment to let them know they have the power to change the world.”