Why We Built The Emerald Avenue Foundation

“The road home ain’t always paved in gold. Sometimes it’s concrete and cracked. But it still leads us to ourselves.”

I built The Emerald Avenue Foundation because I know what it feels like to search for home — in classrooms, on stages, in poetry, in prayer.

Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I saw firsthand how many of us had stories but no space to tell them. Talent but no platform. Vision but no resources. This foundation is my answer to all of that.

Inspired by The Wiz, where a Black girl’s journey home became a journey back to her power, I wanted to create an Emerald City of our own — not a fantasy, but a foundation. A place where Black creativity is centered, nurtured, and funded. Where the arts aren’t an afterthought — they are the heartbeat.

Here, we build. We tell the truth. We make room for healing. And most of all, we remind each other: There’s no place like this.

Whether you’re an artist, a parent, a student, or simply someone who believes in the beauty of Black futures — this avenue is for you. Welcome home.

• - Sabrina LaSha