POWAY, Calif. (KGTV) -- Last June an Instagram page popped up called Black in Poway Unified.
At the time, it was an anonymous way for people to share their experiences with racism in the district.
"It was really amazing to see how far we've come just from creating this one Instagram page and the changes that have been made in our district and in others, just really amazing to see the progress," said Nene Okolo, who along with her sister Ekene Okolo, created the page.
They've watched their idea evolve and grow.
"From shedding light on the racism that students were experiencing to educating the community and implementing initiatives that would further racial equity within our district," said Ekene.
Instagram paved the way for a website and podcast called Culture Talk.
"It's been great being able to educate others on a different platform where they can listen whether they're driving or on a walk and learn about these different topics," Nene said.
But a major goal for the sisters was to start a dialogue with Poway Unified administrators, and their talks eventually lead to a Racial Equity and Inclusion plan and an Ethnic Studies program that will start being offered this fall.
The sisters say the pandemic and distance learning also made it challenging to see the impact their work has had and are looking forward to when classes start again.
"When we go in person and have that physical dialogue we'll be able to see if our work has actually been beneficial and what we need to do to move everyone in the right direction," said Ekene.
