Portia Richardson carries the kind of purpose that can shift a generation. As the founder of Tumaini DC, she is a visionary educator, mother, nonprofit leader, and community builder whose impact stretches far beyond the walls of a classroom. Her work has touched more than 30,000 youth and families across Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Ghana. Yet her story, rooted in childhood resilience and a deep spiritual calling, shows that her mission is not simply educational. It is emotional. It is cultural. It is global.
Portia grew up in Southeast DC, surrounded by love but shaped by instability, responsibility, and survival. She remembers doing homework in the middle of chaos and learning to be strong long before she understood what strength required. Raised by a resilient single mother and a father who struggled with addiction and incarceration, she carried the weight of her circumstances while being held by a family that loved her fiercely. Those early challenges, she says, became the foundation of Tumaini DC.
“I saw versions of my younger self in my classroom every day,” she shared. “The quiet kids carrying heavy things they didn’t have language for. The leaders who were exhausted but still showed up. The funny ones using humor to hide heartbreak. Tumaini was created for them. For the kids who are brilliant but burdened, creative but overlooked, gifted but unsupported.”
Tumaini DC became a village built on love, resilience, and purpose. It became the safe space she once needed and ultimately the platform through which she now nurtures emotional intelligence, leadership, cultural pride, and global awareness in Black and Brown youth.
That mission grew even stronger when Portia launched the Sankofa Study Abroad Program, a life-changing cultural immersion experience that takes students from Wards 7 and 8 to Ghana. It is here that her students experience freedom in a new form. For many, stepping off the plane is their first breath of global possibility.
“When our students walk through the Cape Coast Castle or stand in the Door of Return, something shifts,” Portia explained. “I want them to know they come from brilliance, not brokenness. I want Ghana to reflect back their royalty, their strength, their belonging.”
Many of her students have never left DC, yet return from Ghana with a renewed imagination. They dream bigger. They stand taller. They carry their stories with pride. This is the heart of her story angle: raising global leaders in a local world.
But the road has not been easy. When Tumaini lost nearly 40 percent of its annual funding due to a government shutdown, Portia was faced with a decision: scale back or rise higher. She chose the latter.
“At first I was discouraged,” she admitted. “But then I remembered the big God I serve. Losing funding didn’t mean losing purpose. As Black women founders, we come from a lineage of women who turn nothing into nations. When doors close, we build our own.”
Anchored in faith and fueled by community, she kept going. That boldness is the reason Tumaini will host its 4th Annual Sneaker Ball and Impact Awards Gala this December, a celebration that honors educators, community leaders, youth advocates, and partners across the region. More importantly, it raises the funds needed to send 12 students to Ghana in 2026 and expand Tumaini’s year-round social emotional learning, mentorship, and entrepreneurship initiatives.
“This year, I want every person in that ballroom to feel celebrated,” she said. “Our youth won’t be there physically, but their stories will be woven into every moment. I want our people to exhale, to laugh, to dance, to feel seen. Joy is healing and community joy is transformational.”
The heart of her leadership is equally tender and powerful. As a mother, educator, and nonprofit founder, Portia admits that caring for others used to mean neglecting herself. Over time, she learned that rest is not a reward but a requirement.
“I wore strength like armor for years,” she reflected. “Now I protect my boundaries, honor my capacity, and surrender it all to God. If I do not take care of me, I cannot take care of the people I was called to serve.”
Her honesty is part of what makes her such a revered leader. She does not sugarcoat the complexities of being a Black woman founder doing transformative work in marginalized communities.
“We are often the backbone, the bridge, and the blueprint, yet we receive the least support. But there is beauty in watching our lived experiences become someone else’s lifeline. There is beauty in turning pain into programs and obstacles into opportunity. It is sacred work. It is heavy work. It is holy work.”
Tumaini DC stands today not only as a youth development organization but as a living testament to what can happen when healing meets purpose and purpose meets community. Through the Sankofa Study Abroad Program, students are not just learning about their history. They are reclaiming it. They are stepping into global identity with pride, courage, and imagination. They are expanding the world they come from and the world they will one day lead.
Portia’s journey reminds us that global leadership begins with one thing: remembering who you are and where you come from. And thanks to Tumaini DC, thousands of young people now have the chance to see themselves reflected in a way that transforms everything they believe is possible.
Her work continues, her village keeps growing, and her mission remains clear. Raising global leaders in a local world starts with giving young people the gift of visibility, belonging, and the freedom to dream beyond their borders. Tumaini DC is doing exactly that, one child, one family, and one transformational journey at a time.
Images Courtesy of Portia Richardson
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