A message from ACRE’s Co-Executive Director, Maurice BP-Weeks
Friends, colleagues, comrades, and allies -
I am SO, so proud of what I’ve helped build at ACRE.
Saqib and I started building this organization 6 years ago and this year marks 5 years since our official launch. What a ride it has been! We’ve gone from being a fiscally sponsored trio of staff to a high functioning group of the most brilliant 30 people I can imagine. We’ve gone from supporting one or two campaigns with stretched-thin capacity, to having 8 pillars of work supporting dozens of organizations throughout the country. ACRE rose to the challenge of the past 5 years and is in a strong place to take on the challenges coming in the next 5. It has not always been easy, but I can say with confidence that we’ve done a great job.
So it is bittersweet for me to share that I will be stepping down from my position as ACRE’s Co-Executive Director and leaving from the organization this Fall.
ACRE has so many amazing staff and many of you have had a chance to work directly with them. Our work will continue to grow, build and strengthen in the future well after I am gone. I, of course, am not going far. We started the organization as a place to do groundbreaking racial justice and economic justice work that directly confronts those who are extracting wealth from communities of color. I’m still passionate about that and will be taking on projects with that goal in the future. And my departure gives an opportunity for new leadership within the organization to shine and take the organization in new ways that I could never imagine.
And I’m proud to say that I’m leaving ACRE while the organization is quite strong. We’re in a tremendous financial position and we have a brilliant and fierce staff leading and supporting campaigns across several issue areas. My dear friend (and the best co-director someone could ask for), Saqib Bhatti, is remaining at the organization and our Board of Directors will soon be sending out information about the search for another Co-Director. Saqib and I have grown so much together in this role and he’ll continue to have my full support in leading the next phase of this organization.
I’ll be at ACRE for a few months wrapping things up and making sure the next Co-ED is left in as strong a position as possible. I look forward to chatting with you all about ACRE or my next steps.
Towards victory,
Maurice
