Welcome to The D.O.P.E Classroom with your host, Palandria "DopeDr" Brand and your co-host, Lauren Packer. Coming from a world that lacked equitable opportunities, it was a struggle maneuvering through life. I knew, deep down, that I was too valuable and too much of an asset to sit around and wait for opportunities that were never meant for me(lanin) in the first place. They were not going to fall in my lap and they were most definitely not going to allow me to truly be unapologetic me. So, I decided to "be the change" and get D.O.P.E (not the drug) and create my own, not only for me, but for others as well. This classroom is designed to be uplifting, hype, and unorthodox. Come to class prepared to Develop Opportunities and Purpose for Excellence while we interview educators, civilians, community leaders, and other life-long learners providing dope lessons in education and life. Our goal is to redefine education, explore it through an anti-racist, cultural, and diverse lens, open the classroom and our communities up to more progressive ways of transforming and thinking, be mentally well, build the hustler in you, pursue minority Excellence, and just be overall DOPE. We believe learning is dope, education is dope, and being dope is essential to life! This is a class you don't want to miss, so don't skip it and don't show up late! The D.O.P.E class is in session!