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Named in Honor of C.K. Steele
The C.K. Steele Human Rights Institute honors a life devoted to faith, dignity, and community action. His example continues to guide the Institute’s work for human rights and opportunity.
His Leadership
C.K. Steele brought moral leadership to public life, using his voice and service to help communities stand together for justice.
His Civil Rights Work
He spoke out for equal rights and helped turn the call for freedom into meaningful community action.
His Lasting Legacy
His name remains connected to service, courage, and the belief that lasting change begins with empowered people.
“His legacy calls us to keep building a more just and hopeful community.”
Our Mission
The C.K. Steele Human Rights Institute shall strive to uplift marginalized voices through human and civil rights education and advocacy. The Institute will promote community engagement through workshops, seminars, and after school and summer youth programs. We shall work alongside young people creating pathways to employment through developed internships and job shadowing experiences.
Human Rights Education
Providing greater resources and consistent training that empower individuals to understand and defend their fundamental human rights along with developing programs of engagement with police, public servants, and policy makers.
Civil Rights Advocacy
Promote the benefits of nonviolent positive advocacy to members of our community by teaching the history, techniques and outcomes that grow from civic engagement. Through workshops and seminars the goal is to assist the most marginalized communities to leverage their collective voices to garner more equitable resources that should be evenly distributed regardless of the areas you live in. Whether that is more public resources, cleaner water, or safer communities.
Youth Advocacy
We work alongside young people and families through after-school programs, summer youth initiatives, and training opportunities that build confidence, develop life skills, and create pathways to employment. We shall strive to connect youth with internships and job-shadowing experiences alongside professionals in fields that strengthen our communities and promote long-term success.
WHO WE ARE
C.K. Steele Human Rights Institute
We empower communities through programs centered on both civil and human rights. Programs are targeted on education, and advocacy. Our mission is to create and implement effective, community-driven programs that inspire, educate, and promote confidence in individuals throughout our community.
Our Team
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James L Davis, Jr
Executive Director
Maggie Egan
Policy Liason
Jason Kaiser
PartnershipS Liason
Melanie Davis
Mission & Budget Lead
James leads the Institute’s vision and strategy, guiding our programs towards the most successful outcomes. As Executive Director, James connects partners, funders, and advocates, striving at each opportunity to turn our mission into real impact for the people we serve.
Maggie specializes in policy research, bringing forth sustainable and equitable development models that guide the Institute toward areas where we believe we are needed most. Maggie delivers information on relevant issues where the institute can use that information to make program decisions for both short term and long term success.
Jason seeks and connects our team with the right partners that have similar principles. Where Jason thrives is pairing the leadership of outside organizations to the leadership of the Institute. His innate people skills are invaluable in allowing the institute to determine where those shared ideals meet or closely align. Partnerships generally lead to greater impact, and positive outcomes, working together with different organizations.
Melanie safeguards the Institute’s core values, aligning our work, partnerships, and daily practices so we stay firmly on mission and accountable to our community, while stewarding our budget to support what matters most. She manages our accounting from project to project effectively providing insight towards fiscal resposibility
Advocacy Areas
Advocacy for Affordable Housing
We strive to understand the policies and economic forces that remain consistent barriers to equitable access to safe and affordable housing. Gaining greater perspective in this area from government, housing advocates, and the community at large we believe we can shed light on this fundamental human right.
Employability & Skills Training
With the help of our members and the community we desire for our institute to play a pivotal role in bringing back a thriving summer youth employability skills and summer jobs program. We believe there must be a greater point of emphasis placed on empowering individuals through workshops that help to provide both technical and soft skills necessary to thrive in a competitive workforce. Closing the gap between youth education and youth employment is our goal.
Financial Empowerment
Financial literacy as defined by the institute means bringing together those professionals such as wealth managers, lenders, estate planners, and insurance professionals together through seminars to explain the challenges of today, and how to overcome some of those challenges evening the playing field by providing knowledge to those who need it most. Financial literacy helps communities build long-term stability and economic independence.