LGBTQ+ Parents and Allies Navigating Race in Schools

Join Family Equality for an important conversation about navigating race in the Texas school system, with special guests Stacey and Cheralyn Stevenson, Melanie Maine, Jackie Juarez, and Sonya Parker Goode, facilitated by Luna Malbroux. In this hour-long “roundtable” discussion, these amazing advocates share their experiences as LGBTQ+ parents and allies raising children of color in Texas—from deciding which neighborhoods to live in to advocating for their children in school and everything in between. To watch this podcast as a video, click here.

About our guests:

• Stacey Stevenson (she/they) is the CEO of Family Equality. They are an experienced business leader who has worked in Defense, Technology, and Finance senior roles, where they tirelessly advocated for creating a safe and inclusive space for all in the workplace. Stacey has been active in the fight for equality in Dallas through leading community projects and non-profit board service. She and her wife Cheralyn have been married 14 years and reside in Dallas with their 6-year-old twin boys Duke and London.
• Sonya Parker Goode’s passion for helping people led her to pursue a dual career in education and non-profit work almost 25 years ago. As a certified life coach and anger management specialist, Sonya enjoys developing and teaching tools that help people increase their confidence, set and respect boundaries, develop resilience, and engage with others using effective communication and conflict resolution techniques. She has successfully managed a number of community education programs in Dallas County and has almost 10 years of experience in teaching at the secondary and post-secondary levels. 
• Jackie Juarez is a mom, wife, and psychotherapist of color who thoroughly enjoys raising her 5-year-old son and 3 puppies. Jackie’s work reminds her that we need to stop and pay more attention to our inner voices and collectively strive for more love, care, and advocacy to improve our collective and personal spaces. 
• Melanie Maine is a mother, a wife in a same-sex marriage, a parent to non-white, adopted children and a therapist in Texas schools; projects like this are important to her, families like hers and future generations. “The first step to progress is sharing our stories and collaborating with people that understand,” she says. She is a fierce advocate for her children, and other marginalized students.
• Luna Malbroux is the Chief Vibe Officer of Joy Channel an org that brings together a team of creatives and change agents to create tailored experiences, workshops, and content that help us grow and heal.
• Cheralyn Stevenson is the CEO of The Changists, a legal operations consulting agency dedicated to modernizing law firms for the future. With 20 years of experience in the legal industry, Cheralyn’s expertise informs her work-ethic and creativity just as much as her pride and identity inform her values and leadership. Cheralyn and her wife, Stacey, live in Dallas, TX with their adopted twin boys, Duke and London.

Links to Learn More

• Explore Family Equality’s Inclusive Schools Resources
• Learn more about Stacey and Cheralyn’s experiences as LGBTQ+ parents in Texas
• Learn more about Black Lives Matter in Schools
• Learn more about the Joy Channel