Our Story
The Meaning of 846s
846s.org was created in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. The eight minutes and forty six seconds associated with his death became a lasting symbol of injustice, grief, and the consequences of systems that fail to recognize the humanity of the people they affect.
We chose to transform that symbol into an ongoing commitment.
- A commitment to listen.
- A commitment to create safe spaces.
- A commitment to help young people feel seen, heard, and valued.
- A commitment to build conditions where people can heal, learn, discover, and participate in shaping their futures.
846s does not exist to preserve a moment of pain. It exists to help create what must come after it.
Our Foundation Statement
846s.org exists to create safe, culturally affirming spaces where BIPOC and historically marginalized youth and young adults are seen, heard, valued, and equipped to co create meaningful futures.
Our Mission
Our mission is to strengthen the emotional, relational, technical, and professional capacities of BIPOC and historically marginalized youth and young adults through African Inspired Emotional Intelligence, mentoring, leadership, drone technology, workforce development, and community partnership.
Our Vision
We envision communities where every young person has access to trusted relationships, cultural affirmation, lifelong learning, emerging technology, meaningful work, and the opportunity to lead.
We imagine a future where technology serves humanity, culture is recognized as a source of knowledge, lived experience informs solutions, and no young person is excluded from the industries shaping tomorrow.
Our Guiding Belief
A person is not a problem to be solved.
Every person carries knowledge, experience, culture, imagination, and potential.
Our responsibility is not to tell young people who they should become. It is to create environments where they can understand themselves, discover their gifts, access opportunity, and co create meaningful futures.
The Two Chairs
The simplest and most important unit of the 846s experience
One person sits. Another person joins them. A conversation begins.
The chairs may hold a participant and mentor, student and instructor, parent and child, employer and emerging professional, or community member and trusted listener.
The work begins with presence.
- Trust before transformation.
- Listening before instruction.
- Relationships before outcomes.
We build trust, one conversation at a time.
From safe spaces into an ecosystem
- Step 1
Listening and safe spaces
846s began by creating safe spaces for conversations about mental health, grief, stigma, trauma, and access to culturally responsive support.
- Step 2
Mental health literacy and culturally responsive support
Young people revealed that emotional well being could not be separated from education, opportunity, relationships, and the ability to imagine a meaningful future.
- Step 3
Emotional Intelligence and AIEI
Listening expanded into Emotional Intelligence and African Inspired Emotional Intelligence.
- Step 4
Mentoring and youth leadership
Emotional learning expanded into mentoring, leadership, and academic support.
- Step 5
Drone building and aviation education
Youth curiosity expanded into drone building, aviation education, and emerging technology.
- Step 6
FAA certification
Structured preparation opened a path to federally recognized professional credentials.
- Step 7
Workforce development and entrepreneurship
Technical learning expanded into workforce development, entrepreneurship, community problem solving, and economic mobility.
- Step 8
The Human Experience Ecosystem
What emerged is the 846s Human Experience Ecosystem. We did not leave our original purpose behind. We deepened our understanding of what that purpose requires.
Future direction
The next chapter is depth: helping certified pilots build portfolios and paid experience, strengthening AIEI practice and documentation, expanding Learning Without Walls, and pursuing the proposed Mobile Drone Innovation Lab so the future can travel to the communities that need it.