Since inception, Together We Can has been one of our DEI-focused programs that incorporates friendly steps for participants that meet them where they are in terms of personal views on race and race relations. Founded by pastor and local business leader Richie Butler and Dallas attorney Robert Crain in 2020, Together We Can underscores the complexity and value of understanding people who ask the simple question – How can I be a part of the solution?

Together We Can is a 1-2-3 solution for organizations and individuals alike. Enrollees wear a Together We Can wristband to promote conversations about race, agree to participate in a Together We Dine event and/or encourage others to attend, and spend at least one hour per month dedicated to nonjudgmental, personal listening, learning, and introspection in whatever space they feel comfortable using personal resources and/or vast resource options we provide each month.

2021-22 Facts & Figures

• 850          Participants
• 1,989        Wristbands Distributed

Conversations around race and race relations are rarely simple or easy to achieve. However, at Project Unity, our approach focuses on providing a forum for safe, non-threatening, nonjudgmental group conversations that allow people to speak, think, share, and ask questions from whatever perspective they hold about race and other issues in America and within their own communities. When groups and individuals participate in a Together We Dine event, they meet people from all walks of life and share a meal in a safe space where unifying conversations unfold and new relationships blossom.

Together We Dine was our most popular program again last year. Attendance increased by 12% pushing us to record-level enrollment in 2022. Participants joined from throughout Texas and as far away as California, Florida, and New York. Our successful work proves the powerful community building potential that a well-designed, judgement-free, safe space for racial conversations can be a crucial building block toward creating a bridge that shortens our racial divides. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with one diner telling us, “I learned that we all make internal assumptions about people… but most of the time, these can be incorrect assumptions. This opportunity allowed me to hear what others had to say, and it really helped me get to know them and learn that there is so much more to them.” And a good meal never hurts!

2022 Facts & Figures

• 69            Events Conducted
• 3,169        Participants
• 63            Trained Volunteers
• 1,212         Volunteer Hours Served

Thanks to major partners like Communities Foundation of Texas, Bank of Texas, and Sewell Lexus of Dallas, we resumed one of our most important and pressing youth programs. After a pandemic-driven pause, Together We Learn returned to overwhelming interest from area high schools.

Reports of deadly force encounters between law enforcement and civilians are disturbingly commonplace in American society today. In partnership with the National Black Police Association and the Dallas Police Department, our Together We Learn program delivers potentially life-saving practicum to students on the proper actions and behaviors during police encounters.

Together We Learn (TWL) expands on the tenets of the Texas Community Safety Act (Senate Bill 30) aimed at informing and preparing students for safe vehicle and pedestrian encounters with police. Our program uses a police-led workshop, in-person instruction, a comfortable dialogue between students and officers, and simulated police stops to enrich the learning experience.

Last year, hundreds of students completed this potentially life-saving training that benefits community teens and police officers alike. A broad range of high schools participated in 2022, including Booker T. Washington High School, four campuses of International Leadership School of Texas, Jesuit Preparatory School Dallas, and Mesquite’s John Horn High School. TWL increased student understanding of how to act and react during encounters with law enforcement and improved student comprehension of laws while operating motor vehicles in Texas. We will impact even more students and peace officers’ lives in 2023!

2022 Facts & Figures

• 790           Students Who Completed Training
• 95%          Students with Improved Understanding of Driving Laws after Training
• 96%          Students with Improved Understanding of How to Act and React to Law Enforcement during Traffic and Pedestrian Stops after Training
• 63%          Students with Positive or Better Perception of Police after Training

Together We Sing (TWS) is Project Unity’s signature fundraising event. Returning after a two-year pandemic hiatus, TWS is quickly becoming one of the city’s most anticipated experiences of the year. TWS brings together people from all over North Texas and beyond for a night of inspiration, unity, and amazing musical performances.

In 2022, we packed the house with a sold-out audience at the Meyerson Symphony Center. We raised more than $300,000 to help fund our community programming and achieve record-level enrollment across all programs in 2022.

The night featured a special musical tribute to Grammy Award-winning artist Richard Smallwood. Special guest performers included the incomparable Gospel recording artist Tamela Mann and the NFL Players Choir. The audience also enjoyed the captivating sound of the 60-member Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the remarkable and culturally diverse voices of the nearly 200-member Unity Choir.

We introduced the “Together We” Awards that honor a broad range of champions that include businesses and organizations across industries as well as individuals. Honorees worked tirelessly in their areas of influence to stand against racism and advocate for the health and safety of our community during the pandemic.

The night’s unifying celebration is captured in the words of one of Dallas’ prominent leaders: “It is extremely rare to experience the suspension of time and space – but Together We Sing hit that mark. Last night’s event was inspiring, engaging, uplifting, and so much fun. Congratulations to you and your team on a stellar event! The curation of musical and visual delights was an absolute sensory sensation, and I am still savoring every bit of it. I know I’ll remember this event forever and will be counting the days until next year’s program.”

Without the help of our remarkable sponsors, generous donors, and magnificent volunteers, Project Unity could not have shared the unifying power of music through Together We Sing.

So, whether sponsor or donor, volunteer, or ticket purchaser, we invite you to be a part of an experience you will not soon forget. Together we will sing – June 15, 2023!

2022 Facts & Figures

• 1,609          Tickets (Sold out)
• 46              Event Sponsors and Donors
• 289            Net Funds Raised in Thousands of Dollars

Together We Ball (TWB) is one of Project Unity’s most exciting and accessible programs. Once a year, we bring the community together for a free, daylong unity celebration through basketball. The fun-filled day includes sport, food, family entertainment and activities, and more. 2022 marked Project Unity’s 6th annual “Ball” event, and we pulled out all the stops. Event co-hosts included Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall, Paul Quinn College President Michael J. Sorrell, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia, and Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown.

Held at Paul Quinn College in 2022, TWB’s overarching purpose is to promote unity in our community. The “Pastors and Police” basketball game served as the day’s headliner. Coached by Dallas Mavericks legend D. J. Mbenga and SMU Head Basketball Coach Rob Lanier, law enforcement officers and community and faith leaders played side-by-side to remind attendees that what unites us is greater than what divides us. A high school exhibition game showcased some of the area’s top basketball talent. Guests from across the metroplex enjoyed the unifying power of a sport we all love – basketball.

The day offered numerous forms of entertainment and education that included a youth Skills and Drills Camp hosted by the Dallas Mavs Academy, radio personality Chris Arnold, the Mavs ManiAACs, the drumline, the Mavs D-Town Crew Dance Team, and everyone’s favorite basketball mascot, Champ. Attendees had the opportunity to interact with five different law enforcement agencies and hear the magnificent voices in the Unity Choir. The community agreed: Together We Ball remains undefeated!

2022 Facts & Figures

• 700+        Attendees
• 55             Youths Participating in Dallas Mavs Skills and Drills Camp
• 18             Participating Community and School Organizations
• 37             Players Competing in Basketball Games
• 5               Law Enforcement Agencies Providing Safety Information