Meet Ebone Smith, M.A | Founder and Executive Director of WE ARE R.I.S.E. Inc

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ebone Smith, M.A. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ebone, what role has risk played in your life or career?
When it comes to taking risks, risks can be scary and the fear of those risks can also be a hindrance to you accomplishing your dreams. Risks are often looked at as reasons to keep us from accomplishing our goals. I look at risks as motivation. Without risks, I would not be where I am today.

One of the biggest risks that changed my entire life, was my decision to move to Los Angeles, California on my own. I knew it was a risk when people did the best they could to talk me out of moving to California. The craziest thing about taking that risk was the fact that everybody around me seemed more scared than I actually was. So instead of me allowing people to talk me out of following my dreams to California, I decided to move forward, without the fear of the unknown. With me making the decision to move all the way from Tennessee to Texas and from Texas to California, all I knew was that I was following my heart and I had the faith that everything else will work itself out.

If I had not taken the risk that I took to get to where I am today, I would not be in a position to impact the many many lives of the young girls of color and also the families of color that I am impacting today. If I would have allowed the fear of the unknown to control my life, I would likely be living in the regret of not following my dreams.

I am so grateful for the fearlessness that I have and for the faith that I have in my ability to set and accomplish each and every one of my goals.

My hope through this interview is to inspire others and let them know that it is okay to take a risk, especially when it comes to placing yourself in a better position in life and also in a position to inspire and help others.

With taking risks, look at what you truly want to do, develop a plan, develop your strategy, and follow through.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My nonprofit WE ARE R.I.S.E. Inc., was officially founded in 2020, but had been around since 2017. My organization specializes in mentoring African American and Latinx girls in the South Los Angeles region. Our mission is to empower elementary to middle school-aged girls of color through equipping them with social-emotional and developmental skills they can use in their everyday lives. We conduct weekly workshops in which we address topics such as self-esteem, self and community empowerment, etiquette, coping skills, developing positive relationships, and identity. We also host annual events such as tea parties, back-to-school drives, book drives, and holiday drives.

What sets my nonprofit apart from other nonprofits is our focus on pre-adolescent girls of color, it is our goal is to be proactive in addressing essential topics that they are likely to face. Our hope is to provide them with a solid foundation of self-empowerment, self-worth, awareness, and discernment.

Lessons that I have learned along the way are (1) following through with my vision is extremely important, (2) who I surround myself with often impacts my path and outcome, and (3) it is always important to know my WHY.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend were visiting this area I would definitely take them to Leimert Park, the California African American Museum, the Arts District, the Fashion District, Venice beach, and Santa Monica Pier. I personally love soul food so I would take my friend to my favorite soul food spots like Fixins Soul Kitchen in LA Live and Dulan’s. As far as hanging out, I would take my best friend to Flypoet Spoken Word and Live Performances and to Jazz at LACMA.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shout out to the Director of WE ARE R.I.S.E. Inc.’s athletics programming, Whitney Cooper. Our mentees call her Coach Coop. She deserves this shout out because she had a vision and she believed in her vision and she followed through.

With her combining her resources with my resources, we were able to form WE ARE R.I.S.E. Inc. Athletics Program. Not only do I appreciate her as a business partner, but I appreciate her as a mentor and for the love that she pours into our mentees every single week. Her dedication has expanded my organization in ways that I would’ve never imagined. I am grateful for having her as someone that is extremely committed not only to our organization, but to the health and wellness of the young girls in our community.

Website: https://weareriseinc.org

Instagram: @wearerise_inc, @ecsmcmviii

Image Credits
Image Credits: Picture 1: WE ARE R.I.S.E. Inc. Logo Created on Canva Pro Picture 2: Ebone Smith and RISE Mentorship Program Mentees Picture 3: Ebone Smith and RISE Mentorship Program Mentees Picture 4: Ebone Smith and RISE Mentorship Program Mentees