At Vancouver nonprofit Please Don’t Die Black Men, executive director and founder Ruby Lewis wears many hats.
She manages three after-school programs — film, fashion and journalism — for middle and high school students from Evergreen and Vancouver school districts and provides the students transportation home. She also coordinates the organization’s annual Black History Month Fashion Show.
It’s hard work, but it is a labor of love, Lewis said.
“In the next three to five years, I envision (Please Don’t Die Black Men) expanding to serve more students and offering additional resources through corporate sponsorships,” Lewis said in an email. “We aim to ensure that Black and brown youth, often overlooked, have equitable opportunities to thrive. (Please Don’t Die Black Men) also aspires to amplify African and African American voices, showcasing their resilience and creativity in a way that’s empowering and accessible to all.”
Please Don’t Die Black Men was founded as a movement in March 2007 with the mission of uplifting Black men and addressing challenges, such as substance use, unemployment, educational inequities and health disparities.
Since 2012, the focus of the nonprofit has shifted to include Black individuals of all ages and backgrounds, especially low-income and vulnerable youth in Vancouver.
The nonprofit achieved 501(c)(3) status in July 2023, a significant milestone for the organization, Lewis said.
This year, student designers will share their personalized couture at the nonprofit’s Black History Month Fashion Show on Feb. 8 at Fort Vancouver High School, 5700 E. 18th St., Vancouver. The show will include a silent auction, a West African-inspired meal, art exhibitions from African American culture and a musical performance from African artist Face King.
Lewis said she hopes the fashion show will give hope to Black people who have been singled out because of their appearance.
The event will showcase the designs of 10 students who each created 10 garments. One of those students is Lewis’ daughter, Marianna Leonard, 15.
Leonard said she drew inspiration from the musical artist Melanie Martinez for her designs, which incorporate floral patterns, the Earth and contrasting colors.
“I’m really excited because I actually get to show my designs,” Leonard said. “I follow a lot of music artists like Melanie Martinez, and her new album ‘Void’ had a lot of colors in it. So I wanted to add a lot of colors and roses. I like nature a lot, so I added some animals in my design as well.”
Creating space
The goal of the nonprofit’s after-school programs is to provide vulnerable youth with a space to thrive in creative spaces, which aren’t always accessible due to financial barriers, Lewis said.
“What happens is a lot of these students get rejected from programs, or they sign up for programs, but their parents can’t afford it,” Lewis said. “They’re learning a skill that they can use in life. Instead of just going and buying fabric, they learn to create their own patterns.”
Within each program, they will learn to direct and create short films, produce magazines and create the garments for the fashion show.
The free biweekly after-school programs at Bridgeview Resource Center, 505 Omaha Way, Vancouver, are funded through a $50,000 grant, which was awarded to Please Don’t Die Black Men through the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Healer Reimbursement Grant program.
Lewis, who is originally from the East Coast, moved to Clark County in 2014.
Since then, it has been hard to garner support for the nonprofit and find acceptance within the community, she said. That is part of the reason why Lewis wanted to create opportunities — for herself and for her daughter.
“It’s hard because it can put a damper on the kids,” Lewis said. “As long as the community supports the kids, it works out fine. It’s when the community does not support them that I have to think outside the box, like how can I tweak this? How can I do something different but still allow them to do their projects?”
Imara Muraty, the nonprofit’s marketing director, said it’s been difficult to get people involved.
“We’re doing fashion, film and journalism, which in today’s society, those three areas are really big in terms of kids being entrepreneurs and kids being able to express themselves,” Muraty said. “To be able to see these kids learn something completely different that is not sports related has been really rewarding.”
Lewis said she wants the nonprofit to emphasize the importance of self-worth and positive identity formation, which she believes are essential to combating systemic barriers.
“I feel like African Americans don’t just die one way, they can die physically, sexually and emotionally. So I created this to say please don’t die in a holistic way,” Lewis said. “I wanted a space that could be uplifting and inspiring, which is why I created Please Don’t Die Black Men.”
Chrissy Booker: 360-735-4613;chrissy.booker@columbian.com
About the project: This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation that is funded by community member donations. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
