URU was founded in 1995 by a group of artists from New Haven, Conn. and New York City, who collectively wanted to give something back to their communities. Led by Crystal R. Emery, this collaboration morphed into URU, The Right To Be, Inc.
URU is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 content production company that exists in the intersection of art, humanities, science and technology. It brings together all stake holders with the emphasis on education and work force development to creating a more equitable society. URU’s work is based upon the belief that art is a powerful source of expression fundamental to the individual human spirit, as well as to the functioning of a civil society. URU’s influence can help define and transform civilizations and individuals and lead our future generations to a new plateau of creativity, innovation, and success. Our motto, “You Can’t Be What You Can’t See,” reflects our strong belief in inclusion, education, quality, enlightenment, enjoyment, civic responsibility, personal growth and self-empowerment – where the talent and genius of all young people are no longer left on the sidelines, but are central to the future of our country and the world.
As the racial and ethnic demographics in our nation continue to change, it is more imperative than ever that equity and inclusion are embraced as just, moral and strategic obligations for our country. In order to win the global race for talent acquisition and development, and to be on the cutting edge of innovation and technology, we cannot afford to leave millions behind. We encourage black, brown, indigenous, disabled and female young people to aspire to achievement in STEM careers.
Since its inception, URU has touched and inspired audiences in excess of 14 million people around the world and has enriched the lives of more than 200,000 children. The key to URU’s success is its unique wellspring of national and local relationships — built over the course of 20 years and within more than 75 communities working with over 250 organizations — dedicated to collaboratively producing powerful, engaging programming to influence the future of creativity, innovation, and accomplishment. URU brings together diverse groups of community members, supplies customized tools and employs proven strategies and techniques to affect equitable, tangible and profound change. URU’s span of influence continues to grow. URU’s award-winning documentary film has been chosen by the American Film Showcase project, in conjunction with the U.S. State Department, and was shown in the U.S Embassies in Ethiopia in February 2018 and Germany in March 2018. This accomplishment is positioning URU and its innovative programs to reach global audiences, underscoring the goal of bringing this initiative to audiences around the corner, across the country and throughout the world. URU has a broad range of programming beyond film. Whether it is “Mi Casa Es Su Casa,” an artistic exploration of the music of the Puerto Rican countryside; the interactive children’s environmental project, “This is Where I Live: Don’t Dump on Me”; or the educational outreach initiative, Changing the Face of STEM, all our work is based on making our society more inclusive and our workforce more equitable and representative of our fellow citizens.
URU encourages and inspires participants by providing “road maps” to help them step beyond the limited perspectives toward an understanding that every facet of our society is connected within an interdependent “ecosystem” that needs equity and inclusion to achieve its full potential. That means that our actions — as both individuals and groups — affect everyone around us and, ultimately, push us towards becoming a civil, humane society. URU fervently believes, as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King often said so eloquently, “Injustice anywhere affects justice everywhere.”
URU believes that art can define and transform civilizations and individuals. It is a powerful source of expression and self-empowerment. Art is fundamental to the individual human spirit, as well as to the functioning of a civil, inclusive society. URU seeks to create both new art and new ways to deliver this art and representation to communities that may have otherwise never had the chance to experience it. Truly, you can’t be what you can’t see.
URU The Right To Be Inc., was founded in 1995 by a group of artists who collectively wanted to give something back to their community, share their creative vision and talent with young people and help prepare them for higher education. This collaboration of New Haven-based producers, writers and dancers, whose work was showcased nationally, ultimately morphed into URU The Right To Be Inc., a non-profit organization that utilizes art to cast a community in a new light, through versatile and customizable arts and education initiatives.
URU believes that art can define and transform civilizations and individuals. It is a powerful source of expression and self-empowerment. Art is fundamental to the individual human spirit, as well as to the functioning of a civil, inclusive society. URU seeks to create both new art and new ways to deliver this art and representation to communities that may have otherwise never had the chance to experience it. Truly, you can’t be what you can’t see.
With support from national creative teams with decades of experience in the crafts of filmmaking and documentary television, and over 30 years of operational nonprofit experience, URU continues to produce powerful projects that inform and inspire a wide range of audiences, combined with a solid program that can be adapted to educational initiatives across the country. These initiatives serve as an intersection of art, education, and policy, where individuals from marginalized communities may interface with people who look like them, professionals in fields they never considered, and the policymakers that determine the national agenda. Many of URU’s former interns have since earned, or are currently pursuing, advanced degrees from colleges and universities throughout the United States, are enrolled in medical school, are attending law school or are working for major media organizations.
