Lessons from her ancestors shape her commitment to community
Q&A with Administrative Associate Lanessa Cerrillo
Lanessa Cerrillo (she/her) joined the Black Future Co-op Fund team in April 2022. As Administrative Associate, Lanessa leads the day-to-day operational and organizational support.
In this special Q&A conversation, Lanessa shares how her heritage and lessons from her ancestors have shaped her passion for building a liberated future and how the youth give her hope that it’s possible.
Lanessa’s favorite place in Washington is the San Juan Islands. A Coast Salish descendant, she loves visiting the islands to connect with the land, water, and animals. To recharge she makes time for solitude and reading on her patio. She’s currently reading “The Alchemist.”
Learn more about Lanessa
Q: You recently joined the Black Future Co-op Fund team as our first employee! How does it feel to be the official first employee?
A: I feel honored. I’ve looked up to the architects and have been grateful to have relationships with a couple of them prior to joining the team. To have been able to learn from them previously and now be able to work under them and work collaboratively, sharing similar passions and doing the work that we do, is amazing. I feel super honored to have been given this opportunity to grow, and to learn, and to share space with four amazing Black women that I have come to know. And I’m excited to see where this journey takes me next.
Q: Tell us about yourself. What beliefs brought you to the Black Future Co-op Fund?
A: I usually like to start off by saying I identify as a Black and Brown woman. More specifically, I identify as Black, Mexican, Filipina, and Squamish, and my cultural identity has really shaped the work that I do — especially my passion for serving Black and Brown communities.
I initially pursued an undergrad degree in education because I believe that is the forefront and what initially sparked my passion for serving the communities that I come from. Eventually life led me to the philanthropic space and that’s why I’m here.
I had been following the work of the Fund since it had started and I had been super passionate about everything that they were doing. So to be able to be on the other side of things and see everything come full circle, has been an amazing experience.
Q: We’re excited to have you join in supporting our work to make a liberated future real for Black Washingtonians and for generations to come. What does a liberated future look like to you?
A: That’s a really powerful question. I honestly resonated the most during our Black Well-being event when Venneikia, the keynote speaker, mentioned that freedom looks like to her the initial scene in the “Princess and the Frog,” where the whole community is making gumbo and they all came together and were like “I have the bread” and “I have drinks.” It's the metaphor for what the Fund essentially does. We have our pot of gumbo and we're over here funding and supporting Black-led organizations and businesses across Washington state because this is our community. And, I think essentially that's what liberation looks like to me.
Q: What gives you hope?
A: What gives me hope are the generations that come after me. Anytime I look at my little cousins or the kids that I work with, they are what gives me hope. My aunt had told me when I began teaching that working with children is such healing work, and I never understood that until I was actually in that space. I think the innocence, as well as the excitement that children bring into a space is something that is so precious.
I believe that they're gonna be the ones to really shift everything for the better. It goes back to what I feel like liberation looks like, and freedom looks like, it's creating a better future for them by creating a solid foundation that will promote positive change.
Q: What brings you joy?
A: Community brings me joy. I think it could be, you know, such a cliche answer, but that's truly it. Anytime I'm in a space, especially a Black and Brown space, I am my happiest. I love spending time with my family, but anytime I'm with my friends or anytime I'm at a work event and I am surrounded by beautiful Black and Brown faces it just gives me joy. Our stories, our histories, our anecdotes, and our laughs that is what feeds my heart and my spirit.
Q: What kind of world do you believe is possible?
A: I honestly believe anything is possible. We are moving in the right direction, although there is a lot of work to be done, but I believe that there will be a time when our Black and Brown communities are able to be fully liberated. I envision a world where we are able to go into any space and feel comfortable and feel safe. That's overall my biggest prayer. I know there's a lot of work to be done in order to achieve that, but I am a God-fearing woman, and I believe that as long as we're collectively working together and have faith then anything can happen.
Q: What do you want people to know about the power they have to create that world?
A: Our communities are so powerful. One gem that I hold onto that my aunt had given to me as a young child is that you are born on this earth with everything that you will ever need. Even if you feel like you don't have it within you, you pray and you ask those before you, your ancestors: “Hey, can you help me out? I really need this right now. Can you please bless me with these skills?” And it will be within you if it's meant to be there.
I think everybody has a gift to contribute to serve our greater community. And I think as long as we move forward with our true destiny and our true intentions of what we were supposed to do on this planet then that's when you awaken that power within you, it's within everyone.
