Launching a new organization to deliver on the promise of diverse, well-resourced schools
What we did
Strategy
Message framework
Visual design
Earned media
Social media
Conferences & events
Client
Where
Washington, DC
The challenge
Seventy years after Brown v. Board, America’s schools are still largely separate and unequal. Brown’s Promise launched publicly in June 2023 — less than a year before the 70th anniversary of the landmark ruling — with a mission to finally deliver on Brown’s vision of diverse, well-funded schools for every student in America. We needed to work fast to put Brown’s Promise on the map and restart a largely dormant conversation about school segregation.
The work
With the 70th anniversary right around the corner, we created a two-phase strategy for Brown’s Promise’s first year in the public eye. First, establish credibility and name recognition among policymakers and fellow education advocates. Then, use the anniversary to drive a conversation that was not just retrospective but forward-looking about school segregation.
We worked hand-in-hand with the Brown’s Promise team to create a visual identity, develop and refine messaging in partnership with a quantitative and qualitative research firm, create easy-to-use tools for advocates, build relationships with key journalists, and drive a robust earned media narrative around the anniversary.
“Be Clear has been right there with us from the start. They’ve helped us clarify our vision, refine our strategy, and put our organization — and more importantly, our ideas — at the center of a national policy discussion.”
Ary Amerikaner
Executive Director, Brown’s Promise
“Any meaningful definition of a ‘thorough education’ has to mean learning to live, work and thrive in a multiracial community,” said Ary Amerikaner, co-founder of Brown’s Promise.
Meet the New Group Promising to Tackle School Funding and Segregation Together
“A pair of public school experts argue that two of the most enduring challenges in education —underresourced schools and schools that remain highly segregated by race and income — are too often seen as separate problems with distinct solutions.
They’ve formed a new organization in hopes of bringing the goals of more funding and a richer mix of students in schools together.”
The results
Brown’s Promise launched with a profile in Education Week, which established their values and vision. The piece kicked off a steady stream of media opportunities.
Brown’s Promise organized and hosted a panel at SXSW EDU, participated in a series of top-tier conferences around the Brown anniversary, and earned widespread media coverage including ABC News, the Washington Post, the Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, Education Week, Axios, Chalkbeat, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Most importantly, they revived conversations about school segregation and resource inequity as present challenges to solve rather than chapters of America’s past.
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