Education, entrepreneurship, and equity are key pillars of Kheprw’s work. How do you ensure that young people in the community are not only prepared for the future but also confident in their ability to lead it?

Young people lead most of the work we do here. They hold direct leadership roles in all our critical projects, supported by an intergenerational model that fosters their development. Additionally, we emphasize entrepreneurship focused on community wealth building. In other words, we’re not just cultivating entrepreneurs chasing individual success—we’re creating leaders committed to using entrepreneurship as a tool to build healthier, more sustainable communities.

What are some success stories that highlight the transformative impact of Kheprw’s programs on Indianapolis youth?

Many individuals who were directly involved with Kheprw have gone on to start their own businesses, both locally and nationally, while remaining engaged with Keer through a sense of community. Here at Kheprw, we always say, “You never graduate from Keer.” It’s family, and we instill the expectation that you have a responsibility to support your community, uplift others, and bring people along with you. Over the years, we’ve been involved in numerous entrepreneurial endeavors with this intentionality in mind, adapting to changing circumstances as needed.

For example, at one point, we operated a paint store on Martin Luther King Street. It served as a space for leadership development, generated revenue, and provided high-quality paint to the community at discounted prices. Initially, we received the paint for free as a tax write-off for other stores, but when the environment shifted and we could no longer acquire the paint, we decided it was time to pivot. We closed that chapter and moved on to new opportunities.

Another example is our partnership with Miss Brown and The Leak. Nearly 20 years ago, we opened a fair-trade coffee shop on Martin Luther King Street, the first of its kind in the neighborhood. We sourced coffee from Ethiopian Black farmers through a U.S.-based distributor, giving our young people the chance to learn not only the business side of the enterprise but also the global connections between people of African descent. The shop fostered connections between our local community and international Black farmers while promoting fair trade practices. Out of this space, Miss Brown launched one of her first magazine initiatives, further amplifying our mission to support enterprise and community wealth building.

Entrepreneurship is a challenging game—like baseball, we’ve had more strikeouts than home runs. However, when we hit a home run, it creates opportunities that outlast the moment. For instance, about 12 years ago, one of our participants, then a web design student at IvyTech, helped us launch a web design company called KI New Media. Though it’s no longer a full-fledged enterprise, it continues to support Kheprw initiatives internally, including producing videos like the one on our website, Kheprw Story. That video was created by Kenan, a former Kheprw participant who started with us at the age of seven. Now, at 29, he runs his own storytelling company, Wild Seed LLC, in Los Angeles, using the skills and inspiration he gained with us to empower communities through storytelling.

Lastly, years ago, we launched a consulting company that is still active today. We’re currently redesigning its focus to share lessons we’ve learned over the years with other entrepreneurs and organizations, both for-profit and nonprofit. You’ll see more from this initiative in 2025. For now, you can visit www.scarabish.com for more information.

Kheprw remains dedicated to building community wealth, supporting entrepreneurship, and empowering individuals to create lasting impacts. Thank you for helping us share our story!

With the rise of cultural entrepreneurship, how does Kheprw Institute encourage young creators and innovators to monetize their skills while staying true to their roots?

We’ve always been Black—live Black, stay Black, and move through the world Black. For us, there’s no other way to exist. The challenge, especially for cultural entrepreneurs—particularly artist-entrepreneurs, but not just artists—is staying true to our missions and remaining free while navigating monetization.

We can’t let monetization become the tool that compromises our cultural integrity. Take LaRussell, a young hip-hop artist from the Bay Area. Are you familiar with him? His approach resonates with the one we’ve adopted. If someone comes to us and says, “To be successful as a cultural entrepreneur, you’ve got to monetize or compromise in this specific way,” we’re not about that.

The message is simple: maintain your integrity, stay true to your mission, and trust that if you do it well, the resources will find you. You won’t have to chase them. 

In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven world, what’s the role of community-based organizations like Kheprw in keeping the culture alive and thriving?

We are deeply engaged with technology and use it prolifically as a grassroots organization. In fact, we’re probably more well-versed in technology than most would expect. Our team is a strong mix of young and seasoned individuals, all working together to leverage these tools to support our community-driven mission.

For example, years ago, from an entrepreneurial perspective, we were in a meeting with a nonprofit organization discussing the challenges nonprofits faced with submitting grant reports to the city, specifically around data collection and daily reporting. We saw an opportunity and began exploring ways we could support other nonprofits in this area, which remains part of our work today.

Currently, we’re diving into new technology tools in accounting and financial management. We’re also exploring how to integrate AI into our efforts, understanding the broader debates about its pros and cons. For instance, we use Salesforce extensively across our organization, enabling us to streamline operations and amplify our impact.

Ultimately, we believe technology is a powerful tool for grassroots organizations. It can significantly enhance our ability to serve our mission, ensuring we’re not left behind due to a lack of technological proficiency. Instead, we aim to lead the way in using these tools effectively to empower our communities.

   Kheprw Institute focuses on empowering young people and families in the community. What are some personal moments or stories that reaffirm why you do what you do?

Golly. Let me start by saying one of the reasons we started Kheprw, at least for me, was because I needed a place to truly be myself. I had done my stint in corporate, and after my last experience, it hit me—it wasn’t them, it was me. They were simply serving the interests of the corporate model, but I needed a space where I could be free to embrace the entrepreneur I’ve always been. That’s what Kheprw became for me.

When it comes to stories, one that stands out is Keenan, who’s now doing incredible work with Wild Seed in the Bay Area. I just spoke with him yesterday—he’s currently in Brazil for 11 days working on another project. Stories like his make the effort worthwhile.

My son, Diop, was actually one of the inspirations for starting Kheprw. He’s 36 now and thriving as an entrepreneur, staying true to the mission of being culturally free and uncompromising in his business model. That’s definitely another highlight.

Every day, I work alongside an amazing group of 8 to 10 young people under 30, all passionate about change and committed to staying the course, even in challenging times. They remain unwavering in their principles, refusing to compromise just because others control the bag.

There are so many stories like this. Aghilah, for instance, has been with us for nine years and is now 31. Mimi, who’s 32, has been with Kheprw for 10 years. Alvin has been here 14 years, and Rasul, who’s 29, has been with us since he was a teenager. These young leaders are dedicated, working with older generations while holding their own as they develop into change-makers.

Every day, I wake up loving what I do. It’s hard work, but it’s incredibly rewarding. Even my daughter, who’s 39 and living in San Francisco, continues to inspire me. It’s a privilege to see all of them grow and thrive in this work.

Community-building and collaboration are at the heart of Kheprw’s work. What’s your approach to making these concepts resonate with a generation that values individuality and hustle?

It’s a long road. We spend a lot of time building relationships with each other—having conversations, reading, eating, and socializing together. In our space, we’ve implemented accountability tools that encourage open communication. When something isn’t right, we address it directly. We hold each other accountable in a way that’s not personal but rooted in love and necessity.

In an era where it’s all about “me,” we challenge that worldview. Through our media platform, we promote alternatives that focus on community and interconnectedness. We remind people there are different ways to live and thrive.

One of the unexpected benefits of this moment—amidst global disruptions—is the opportunity to reconsider how we approach life. The systems and models that once worked are failing, and they likely aren’t coming back. This opens the door for people to explore other ways of building community and finding meaning.

Interestingly, I read a piece in The Economist this year that noted a shift. It mentioned how older generations, like baby boomers, are gravitating toward entertainment, indulgences, and escapism, perhaps reflecting the era they came from. Meanwhile, younger generations, particularly Gen Z, seem to be prioritizing relationships and moving away from an individualistic approach to life.

The pandemic may have played a role in this shift. Being forced to slow down gave people time to reflect on what truly matters. Is it collecting trinkets or climbing corporate ladders that no longer exist? Or is it the relationships, values, and experiences that bring meaning to our lives? Some of this change feels natural, driven by the instability of global conditions. It’s a unique moment to rethink what living really means.

Tell us about your new location on 38th & Illinois.

The Alchemy Community Wealth Building Center is a facility we acquired about three or four years ago with funding support from Lilly. It’s been a long and challenging journey to complete the renovations, but we finally held our grand opening launch during Kwanzaa. Now, we’re focused on planning how to make this space available to our community. Our goal is to support entrepreneurs, artists, and other community wealth-building initiatives as we move into 2025. While we haven’t finalized the official opening date yet, we’re aiming for the first quarter of 2025 to have the space fully open for business.

You hosted our very first networking event at your internet cafe. We are grateful for that. It seems as if you always know what the community needs. How does one stay on top of what the community needs?

Talk to people, listen to them, and ideally live in the places where you work, play, and eat. When you live there, you build relationships—if you’re paying attention. Make yourself accessible and approach problems as a community because there’s no such thing as “I” in isolation. We like to believe there is, but really, it’s “I am because we are.”

The key is to be a deep listener and strive to build relationships that create win-win opportunities, which is especially challenging in times of perceived scarcity. Also, trust your inner voice. The universe often presents opportunities that aren’t packaged the way you expect, so you might overlook them. It’s about paying close attention to what I’d call “the unseen”—those subtle things that arise from the ground and could seem invisible if you’re not truly present.