The Power of 20: FIERCE Advocates By the Numbers
Twenty years ago, a powerful idea took root in Richmond's Iron Triangle. Building Blocks for Kids (BBK) was born from a vision to radically transform the lives of children and families through deep community collaboration, strategic investment, and the belief that every child deserves the chance to thrive. Today, that idea has not only endured but evolved into a movement. In 2025, FIERCE Advocates celebrates two decades of impact, resilience, and transformation.
Under the banner of this year’s anniversary theme, Lighting the Path Forward, FIERCE honors the legacy of its founding while illuminating a bold and empowered future for Black and Latinx families in Contra Costa County and beyond.
Roots of a Movement: From BBK to FIERCE
Originally launched as BBK, the collaborative began with place-based programming rooted in Richmond’s Iron Triangle. Early programs like Full Family Behavioral Health, BBKamp summer enrichment, Digital Literacy initiatives, and the much-loved African American Baby Shower offered residents critical support, resources, and spaces of celebration.
These programs were built in collaboration with over two dozen community and agency partners, knitting together a safety net for children and families facing structural disadvantage.
BBK served as a convener, a connector, and a catalyst;always with community voice at the center. By 2019, BBK had evolved a new strategic plan that focused on three guiding pillars: healing-centered care, parent-led advocacy, and leadership development. These pillars laid the foundation for a broader transformation.
In 2023, the organization formally rebranded as FIERCE Advocates—Families and Individuals Equitably Rooted in Collective Empowerment. The new name reflects not just who the organization serves, but how it serves: with urgency, community ownership, and a commitment to dismantling the systems that perpetuate racial harm.
Impact by the Numbers: A Legacy of Healing and Power
From 2018 through 2024, FIERCE Advocates (and BBK before it) has reached thousands of residents with culturally responsive, justice-oriented programs:
6,000+ meals distributed to youth during summer programming
400+ parents and caregivers graduated from nurturing parenting and life coaching cohorts
200+ CoCo Doula clients served, with birth outcomes far exceeding statewide averages
Over 600 residents engaged through sanctuary healing spaces for Black women, Latina women, and men of color
Hundreds of youth and adults trained in coding, civic leadership, and advocacy
Dozens of community leaders appointed to school site councils, public boards, and advisory groups
The numbers tell a story of scale. But behind every number is a network; a parent who found their voice, a teen who found joy in learning and mentorship, a Black mother who felt supported in childbirth, a man who overcame his past and rediscovered his power.
Lighting the Path Forward
In 2024, FIERCE Advocates reached its highest impact to date, serving 963 individuals across healing sanctuaries, life coaching, policy advocacy, and birth justice programming. New initiatives like the Brilliance of Brotherhood, the Community Capsule, and the expansion of CELI (Community Education Leadership Institute) reflect an organization that is still growing, still innovating, and still listening.
Lighting the Path Forward is more than a campaign slogan. It is a reflection of how FIERCE shows up; as torchbearers for equity, as builders of systems that reflect community wisdom, and as organizers who know that change comes from the ground up.
In the years to come, FIERCE will continue training doulas, facilitating healing, advocating in policy spaces, and investing in families who have been too often left behind. And just as it has for two decades, the work will be guided by those most impacted.
Join us for our 20th anniversary celebration on September 27, 2025, at Richmond Civic Center Plaza to honor this tremendous legacy.
Mark your calendars and be part of this unforgettable celebration!
Support the 20th Anniversary campaign by:
Making a donation to FIERCE Advocates
Spreading the word in your networks
Learn more and get involved: fierceadvocates.org/20th
