The New Super Advocates Coalition!

by Bryan Troupe

On Saturday, September 3^rd, 2011, a groundbreaking event occurred. The group, Super Advocates Coalition, was officially formed during a meeting discussing how to empower students to advocate on behalf of civil rights issues, such as healthcare, economic empowerment, and education. The meeting was held at University of Miami (UM) and those attending were Catalyst Miami founder and CEO Daniella Levine, Amber Walker, Charlyn Stanberry, Imri  Yekutiel, and myself, Bryan Troupe. 

The purpose of Super Advocates will be to empower UM and FIU students to serve as advocates for their community. This coalition is primarily targeted to undergraduates and graduates, however is open to anybody that is interested in advocating for their community. Some of the organizations that will be targeted are organizations within Florida International University and UM as well as community organizations throughout Miami-Dade County. 

This type of advocacy is important and needed for communities of Miami-Dade. Citizens should be educated and informed about issues that will have an impact on them and their communities that they live in. One of the goals of this coalition is to ensure that communities and citizens have a voice that is heard by those who have power to make decisions affecting their future. 

Super Advocates Coalition will be meeting every three weeks; the next meeting will be held Saturday, September 17^th, on UM campus.

Interns for Impact: CHARLYN STANBERRY

Hello Everyone!  My name is Charlyn Stanberry and I am a summer law intern with Catalyst Miami.  I am a proud native of Jacksonville, FL, but I also have roots in Mississippi.  I graduated high school from Paxon School for Advanced Studies and received my Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Central Florida (UCF).  At UCF, I was the Chairman of the President’s Leadership Council, chartered the UCF chapter of the National Council of Negro Women and was heavily involved with my sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.  In 2005, I obtained my BSBA in Marketing and in 2007 I obtained my Master of Public Administration Degree.   After graduation, I worked in insurance for a couple of years before deciding to go back to school.

Currently, I am a second-year law student at Florida International University College of Law with plans to pursue a career in health law, policy, & administration.  At FIU Law, I am a representative for the Florida Bar Law Student Division and I’m the Southern Region Attorney General for the National Black Law Students Association.

I was blessed and fortunate to be raised by not only my parents, but my great-grandmother.  “Mommie”, (as we affectionately called her), had a seventh grade education, worked as a maid, raised her siblings and her own children, and still found time to give back to the community.  “Mommie” never complained and always helped the poor, sick, children and the elderly with a bright smile.  As a child she would always tell me, “Keep living”, “Think about the world and not just yourself”, and to remember “It’s not about what you do for a person, but what you leave in a person.”  I think about her passion, dedication, and service daily; and that is what drove me to Catalyst Miami.

Catalyst Miami is an organization that helps individuals and communities thrive.  This summer I worked with the President & CEO Daniella Levine on several projects, including looking up legislative history, participating in several conference calls, and attending several training workshops.  I also worked with the “Pennywise Campaign”, which is a grassroots coalition building a movement to protect our county’s services and jobs. As a “Pennywise” intern, I was responsible for creating press releases, creating blog post, setting up meetings with community activists, and helping with the organization of the campaign. Miami is my new home and I hope through my advocacy work I am able to make it a better place for generations to come.