For Oak Cliff

We are a culturally responsive organization serving the South Oak Cliff community. Education, Advocacy, Community Building and Arts are the categories we use to develop various programs with our community. For Oak Cliff believes in 2-Gen, so we focus on creating opportunities for and addressing the needs of both children and the adults in their lives together with the aim of increasing social mobility and social capital. Our work takes place in the 75216 zip code of South Oak Cliff, in our targeted area that we call "The Superblock". The Superblock is geographically defined by I-35 and I-45 for west and east boundaries and Illinois Ave (as we grow, we would like to push this boundary up to 8th Street) and Ledbetter Dr for north and south boundaries.

Why do we do what we do?

Our mission stems directly from generations of racial segregation, redlining, and divestment from our community. We know that South Oak Cliff is wealthy in natural resources and people, but investments and opportunity are not evenly distributed. We face many of the worst outcomes in Dallas and the state, and our collective movement aims to address these harms.

• Highest in Incarceration
  • 644 individuals from the Superblock are incarcerated, higher than any other zip code in Dallas.
  • There are 7.9 incidents of violent crime for every 1,000 residents in the 75216 zip code, (versus 5.4 incidents in Dallas), including 4.4 instances of assault.
• `Lowest in Life Expectancy
  • Life expectancy is 19 years less than affluent zip codes 10 miles north of us.
  • Parkland's Community Health Needs Assessment shows at almost 40% of the Superblock suffers from one or more chronic diseases.
• Lowest in Student Achievement
  • Roughly 30% of Dallas ISD Superblock students were chronically absent (meaning they missed 18+ days, or 10% of the school year) in 2023-2024, compared to 24% for the district at large.
  • Only 6.5% of Superblock residents earn a bachelors degree (compared to 22.1% of Dallas).

Compiled from 2023-2024 Texas Education Agency (TEA) and various public sources by The Commit Partnership. 

OUR NORTH STAR

By 2035, the Superblock will be a beacon of hope, offering all residents a high quality of life.

The school-to-prison pipeline will be disrupted and replaced by a cradle-to-career pathway that puts us on a trajectory to social and economic mobility, wellness, and liberation.

We will aim at this north star by advancing these 5 priorities:

• Reversing Chronic Absenteeism
• Early Childhood Education
• Post-Secondary/Career Pathways
• Incarceration and Student Discipline
• Backbone Capacity Building