Jimiri is dedicated to the loving memory of Bereketabe Yohannes, who died in a tragic accident at the age of 14. He was one of my son’s closest friends. Their friendship started in the fifth grade when they were fortunate enough to have attended the same school and to have been assigned to the same class.
They spent nearly every day together after school, playing basketball and dreaming of winning middle school championships. They exchanged endless texts and jokes, wondering together what high school would be like and what their futures might bring.
Bereketabe was born in Addis Ababa where his family spoke Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia and the language spoken so beautifully by Bereketabe’s family and friends during his funeral.
Jimiri (ጅምር) (pronounced jih∙MIH∙rih) is the Amharic word for beginning, or start, and its meaning captures the mission of our Youth Leadership Program. To help bridge the racial and ethnic divide in the United States, we begin by building friendships and empathy among children of different racial backgrounds who attend different schools. We aim to help children embark on a lifelong journey of racial and ethnic understanding. And we begin to empower them to help solve the intractable problems of racism and racial segregation and the social and economic disparities that arise from them.
Building friendships and empathy through a group-based program within the United States is our beginning, jimiri, inspiring the next generation of leaders to promote racial healing and social justice.
Jimiri was founded in June 2020, a few days before what would have been Bereketabe’s 15th birthday and about a week before the anniversary of his tragic death. At the time, the U.S. was grappling with the recent murder of George Floyd and the ensuing mass demonstrations demanding racial justice and social change. Of the countless statistics cited in the wake of the protests, one stood out: the vast majority of white Americans don’t have any Black friends and the vast majority of Black Americans don’t have any white friends. Similar disparities exist for other racial and ethnic groups across the U.S. (Source.)
If we don’t start bridging these racial and cultural divides, and if instead we remain segregated in our separate worlds within our own country, we’ll never truly engage in the national dialogue needed to address the racial inequities in our society. In our Youth Leadership Program, friendship and empathy is where the solutions begin. Jimiri.
Michael Zwibelman
Founder, Jimiri Inc.
Jimiri’s logo was designed by a highly talented illustrator named Dominic from BRIDGEGOOD Design Studio, a nonprofit that prepares students of color for meaningful tech and design careers.
Dominic is a graphic artist (and father of two) specializing in illustration. Born and raised in East Oakland, he has been creating ever since he was a child. Through BRIDGEGOOD, Dominic has partnered with several community leaders including former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, nonprofits such as Oakland Asian Cultural Center, and organizations such as the Fruitvale Farmers Market to help create visual identities, branding, and marketing materials.
Dominic hopes to continue making an impact through BRIDGEGOOD by engaging in social good projects and entrepreneurship learning, while passing his unique skills and experience down to the next generation of artists/designers through inspiration as a role model.
