Kerra Bower, CEO of Raze Development Center, reflects on the grand opening of Raze Early Learning Development Center:
“It means that the work could start. All the stuff prior to the grand opening was like the pre-work, the predesign, all of the things that you have to do to pave the way for the work that we’re actually going to be doing. So the grand opening was the start of the actual work, the start of the hard work that’s to come. I think my favorite part was the tours and being able to show the community what we’ve been working on, and seeing people tear up as they walked through the halls. Somebody in the community told me, ‘Here, we have to leave Spokane to be surrounded by this. And you just brought home Spokane.’ That meant so much to me, because it hurts me to hear Black people say they don’t feel like this is home. This place is safety for me, and to hear my people say, ‘This is starting to feel more like home,’ and to know I was able to play a part in that, I thought it was really amazing.” – Kerra Bower, Raze Early Learning Development Center