Community Partner Spotlight: BECOME

Mission

Recognizing the value of lived experience, BECOME believes that communities must be at the heart of identifying their own solutions. BECOME’s mission is to spark and sustain community transformation by unlocking the cultural strengths and intrinsic wisdom of the people. Together we realize our collective liberation by developing communal care and power.

CEO/President

Dr. Dominica McBride is a leading thinker in the realm of community psychology, community healing, and collective transformation. As a champion of Culturally Responsive Evaluation and a grassroots advocacy strategist, she has dedicated her work to building the capacity of communities to create the reality they desire and deserve. In 2013, Dr. McBride founded BECOME with the belief that communities should be at the forefront of realizing their visions of thriving communities. She has also been recognized and honored with a range of awards for her outstanding work. Dr. McBride holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology.

Services Offered

BECOME is a 501(c)3 movement-building and community transformation organization that facilitates grassroots community leadership and co-creates innovative solutions to help people achieve collective liberation. We collaborate with communities to develop sustainable solutions, expand community capacity to implement those solutions, and create lasting movement toward a shared vision. We come with a toolbox of services to help residents and organizations build the reality they desire, including culturally responsive research and evaluation, community-driven strategic planning, training and facilitation, and community engagement and organizing.

Current Projects

BECOME is currently implementing our Culturally Responsive Community Transformation model in Auburn Gresham. In 2024, BECOME is launching innovation groups where residents will engage in collective and personal growth, covering topics like self-exploration and systemic oppression and, ultimately, creating community-driven solutions. BECOME recently released a book on leading change called, Becoming Change Makers: The Exquisite Path to Leadership and Liberation for Women of Color.

Organizational impact to the community

Over our decade of experience, BECOME has witnessed the profound transformation that occurs when communities have a forum to address challenges. To date, our CRCT Hub in Auburn Gresham has engaged more than 150 residents in collaborative change-making. Community members have expressed that this process has shifted their perceptions of their communities and neighbors, instilling hope in their ability to create lasting change.

Funding Sources

BECOME’s community-based transformation work is funded by partners including the Chicago Community Trust, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation.

This spotlight is part of the Healthy City Collaborative, a program within the UIC Office of Community Engagement And Neighborhood Health Partnerships.

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