Carlos Kareem Windham
Founder El Porvenir Services
Multi-hyphenate, Carlos Kareem Windham, is an artist/organizer who has spent the better part of the last two decades performing for audiences and speaking with students, teachers and organizers on stages and in classrooms across the globe.
Carlos’ works are vulnerable, defiant expressions of the relationships between race, class and gender in the U.S. and abroad. Whether through the medium of storytelling, lyrics, workshop, or stand-up, Carlos takes every opportunity to speak truth to power.
Their path began as a student activist leading a movement that created the Department of Ethnic Studies at University of Colorado, Boulder, continued through touring internationally as a performing artist, evolved into designing arts education programming for youth, managing civic engagement programs and supporting community housing initiatives and private consulting.
Prior to founding El Porvenir Services, Carlos served as the Director of Equity and Community Programs, and then as Director of Strategy and Innovation at Resolutions Northwest whener they lead a radical pedagogical transformation and tremendous growth of RNW’s community programs; including rapidly building out an organizational racial equity consulting service in response to client demand. Carlos’ leadership contributed to Resolutions Northwest earning a reputation as a regional leader in racial equity and systems transformation training, facilitation and consultation.
In June 2019, Carlos founded El Porvenir Services, LLC with the mission of bringing communities into the future, and centering the voices of the most impacted in the reclamation of their power at the intersection of race, class, and gender. Through El Porvenir, Carlos works for the creation of just ecosystems where people maintain long-term relationships across difference, in the creation of outcomes that provide equitable opportunities for the most excluded.
Past clients include various departments and divisions within Multnomah County, Washington County, the City of Portland, the State of Oregon, as well as Portland State University, Clark College, Human Solutions, Home Forward, Seeding Justice (Formerly MRG Foundation), New Oregon Majority, Oregon Futures Lab / Color PAC, Regional Arts and Culture Council, Virginia Garcia Memorial Group and more.