• Why We Exist

    Our mission, our vision, and the experiences that shaped SCORE.

    Mission Statement

    Securing Communities of Racial Equity (SCORE) works to confront racism and social injustice by addressing the educational, economic, health, and community barriers created and sustained by systemic inequity.

    We develop community-informed programs, build partnerships, expand access to resources, and use education, media, and storytelling to strengthen understanding and inspire action. Through collaboration with residents, educators, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders, SCORE creates pathways that help individuals and communities move beyond the effects of racism and toward greater opportunity, equity, and belonging.

    Vision Statement

    SCORE envisions communities where race, income, or background no longer determines a person’s access to opportunity, support, or success.

    We seek a future in which students and families are valued, communities have the resources and power to shape their own futures, and institutions respond to people with fairness, dignity, and accountability. Our vision is a society where equity is reflected not only in what we believe, but in the opportunities, systems, and everyday experiences available to all.

    Meet Our Founder and President

    Dr. Tayari Kuanda is an educator, filmmaker, nonprofit founder, and community equity leader whose work brings education, media, and community action together to expand opportunity and address systemic barriers. As Founder and President of SCORE, he leads initiatives that strengthen academic access, cultural competency, restorative practices, youth development, community health, civic engagement, and opportunities for historically underserved students and families.

    With more than two decades of experience in education, Dr. Kuanda has served as a university professor, intervention specialist, high school history teacher, Career Technical Education teacher, curriculum developer, and media producer. He also leads OnWatch TV, a multimedia platform and production company through which he creates educational content, trains emerging media professionals, and expands access to storytelling and community representation.

    His work creates practical, hands-on opportunities for students and emerging leaders through film and television production, internships, scholarships, civic engagement, professional learning, and community-based programs.

    Dr. Kuanda founded SCORE from both professional experience and a personal understanding of the systemic barriers that can prevent people from being fully seen, supported, and given a fair opportunity to succeed. Through SCORE, he continues to build pathways to education, resources, representation, and community power—one student, one family, and one community at a time.

  • Help Us SCORE

    Choose how you want to invest in students, opportunity, and stronger communities.

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    Invest in Their Future Behind the Camera

    SCORE helps aspiring creatives move from interest to opportunity by providing access to film and media education, certificate-based training, equipment, and hands-on production experience.

    Your support helps cover tuition, gear, and career development so emerging filmmakers, editors, camera operators, and media professionals can build the skills, confidence, and experience needed to enter the industry.

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    Invest in Equity. Strengthen Communities.

    Your donation to SCORE’s General Fund helps sustain programs that expand educational opportunity, support youth and families, strengthen community health, prepare emerging media professionals, and address barriers created by racial and economic inequity.

    Every contribution helps SCORE provide scholarships, train educators, create hands-on opportunities for young people, connect families with trusted resources, and build community-informed programs that respond to real needs.

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    Support the SCORE Equity & Engagement Award

    During my junior and senior years of high school, I was homeless. I attended class during the day, practiced football in the afternoon, and worked nights until 3 a.m. Most days, I slept less than three hours. I sometimes fell asleep in class, but I kept showing up.

    Some teachers assumed I did not care. They were wrong.

    Struggling grades do not always reflect a lack of effort, ability, or potential. Sometimes they reflect challenges that are invisible to the people making judgments. I created the SCORE Equity & Engagement Award to recognize students who continue to participate, contribute, and move forward even when their circumstances make success harder.

    This award honors resilience, engagement, growth, and the refusal to give up.

    Your support helps us recognize students whose promise may not be fully reflected in a transcript, but whose determination deserves to be seen and encouraged.

    We are not rewarding failure. We are investing in potential, persistence, and future greatness. Never give up on young people—you never know who they will become.

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