Black nonprofit leader helps Des Moines students find their voices, carries on grandmother's legacy

“We understand that poverty produces crime. So we try to fight for as many resources as we possibly can for students, but also for families. Because if we have broken families, we understand we're going to have broken students or broken youth,” said RJ Miller, the executive director of Greater Opportunities. He resurrected the organization first operated by his grandmother Jeanette Jennings, who died in 2019.

Miller discussed the success of his popular youth town halls on this episode of the Inside Black Iowa podcast.

RJ Miller, in yellow, is the executive director of Greater Opportunities. The nonprofit has held five youth town halls in Des Moines. Students performed and led panel discussions about a variety of issues, including school safety and their teachers. Photo by Black Iowa News.

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