“A great vision is needed. The man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky." ~Crazy Horse
“A great vision is needed. The man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky." ~Crazy Horse
Re|Fresh Strategies facilitates the building and development of relevant, 21st century community engagement initiatives for businesses and institutions, particularly where they intersect with communities of color.
Our vision focuses on disrupting transactional community engagement approaches and guiding clients into the practice of combining fresh actions and new perspectives.
The result is the elimination of token gestures, the building of genuine relationships, and the engagement of individuals and communities through the integration of the arts, education, real estate, food, and design.
“The only way to get a thing done is to start to do it, then keep on doing it, and finally you'll finish it.” ~Langston Hughes
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” ~Marcel Proust
Boston-born and world-trained, Derek Lumpkins works and lives at the intersection of intentional community engagement and meaningful social change. Derek led the transformation and growth of a community-based organization in Roxbury, one of Boston’s largest communities of color, from its focus on Colonial American history to its role as an advocate for the neighborhood's contemporary artistic, cultural, and economic development. Following that, he led initiatives in the higher education and banking sectors to leverage institutional assets that developed new relationships in host communities and underbanked communities respectively, increased capacity, and developed new pathways for access to resources and information.
Supporting the growth and visibility of communities of color has been the thread connecting Derek’s work and relationships for over a decade. In 2020, he was compelled to launch Re|Fresh Strategies after the killing of George Floyd, the national and worldwide protests for Black lives, and corporate America’s vague and tepid statements in support of the movement.
With insight from his years of experience, Derek saw that 20th century approaches to community engagement were being applied to 21st century situations, particularly those regarding communities of color. And thus, the journey began! With an eye on sustainable relationships and fresh perspectives, Derek works with clients to design progressive, creative, ethical, and socially just solutions that push at the boundaries of the status quo to create meaningful change.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.