Black History Today: Kimberly Neal-Brannum, courageous architect of sacred spaces
/Black History Today, created by Marcus Harden in honor of Black History Month, pays tribute to the living legacy of Black history in our community and beyond and recognizes the people shaping the future.
Presented in collaboration with the South Seattle Emerald.
“It’s not about supplication, it’s about power. It’s not about asking, it’s about demanding. It’s not about convincing those who are currently in power, it’s about changing the very face of power itself.”
By Marcus Harden
We need more architects, more people who create new designs, dimensions and structures for us to live in. We need more builders, more doers, more renovators who see the world for what it is by imagining and reimagining it for what it could be. We need more people who live in the light alongside their fear, courage isn’t based on the absence of fear, but on the acknowledgment of fear and the will to face it anyway.
When I think of courageous architects, I think of women like Kimberly Neal-Brannum. You won’t have spent 11 seconds with Kim (aka Kimpossible) before you know you’re in the midst of a change maker. She is a true powerhouse of purpose and change, currently serving as the founder and head of schools at Believe Circle City, a public college and career preparatory high school in Indianapolis, Ind. Their mission is to “develop students into leaders through a community that fosters their agency, autonomy, and acceleration— providing a foundation for future independence and success.”
Long before launching Believe, Kim believed deeply in social change. Raised in St. Louis by a wonderful family (Kim’s love for her parents and her parent chronicles are things of legend), in her formative years she attended Catholic school – until testing into highly gifted and capable programs and moving to magnet schools. As a first-generation college student, she earned her Bachelor's degree from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, a proud HBCU in Huntsville, Ala.
After graduating, Kim joined Teach for America, and after fulfilling her two-year commitment, she stayed in the classroom full-time while simultaneously earning her master’s degree in social work. Her work ethic and passion for people consistently undeniable, she would eventually move to Chicago to launch Muchin College Prep, which became one of the top-10-performing schools in Chicago.
Kim’s unique mastery of executing a vision and creating a community where young people and educators can thrive together is truly something special to witness. Every place Kim has gone has been transformed by her ability to educate while keeping a pulse on the human connection and touch. She has rejected unforgiving, “no excuses” dogmas and created empathetic spaces where every child and family matters. Her leadership and heart for others are second to none.
Her accolades are a mile long, but what separates Kimberly is her common touch and ability to connect across all walks of life, in any room, in any place and with anyone. Her ability to lead, mentor and to continually be in service to others – all while being an incredible accountability partner, never shy to offer helpful “feedback,” while simultaneously generating an environment in which joy and pleasure are constant – is a true masterclass in its own right.
Kim’s commitment to family, including her incredible educator husband, and to community allow her to create legacy-filled environments and systems that will survive and thrive well beyond her many more years on Earth. Kim Neal embodies what happens when the impossible becomes very possible, what it means to be a trailblazing, proud Black woman, phenomenal in every way. She is what it means to be Black History Today!
Original artwork created by Devin Chicras for the South Seattle Emerald.
