The
Merriweather
Pavilion
a community gathering place and hub for youth disguised as a book lounge on the Eastside of Jacksonville, FL. We cultivate a space for youth to communicate, collaborate, and become critical thinkers to eradicate generational poverty.
The Eastside — Out East — is located less than a mile from downtown, nestled between the Springfield neighborhood to the west, JAXPORT’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal to the east, and the sports and entertainment district to the south. By all accounts the Eastside should be prosperous, however it is a place people avoided at night.
Community
Empowerment
Hope through Discovery
Inspiring confident, self-advocating, life-long learners.
Our Mission
We believe students have the ability to direct their learning, so we seek to provide lower-income students with a safe and nurturing environment to do so.
Black Owned
We are a Black Owned Book Lounge.
Financial Literacy
We teach financial literacy using the Dave Ramsey's Foundation in Personal Finance.
Advocacy
We promote education freedom and self-advocacy.
Books To Our Library
DONATE
Meet the Founder
Denisha Merriweather is the Director of Public Relations and Content Marketing at the American Federation for Children and Founder of Black Minds Matter. Denisha previously served as School Choice and Youth Liaison to the Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education.
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Denisha is a Florida tax-credit scholarship graduate. She received her Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of South Florida and bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary social science. Along the way, Denisha has become a national symbol for school choice, headlining events with Florida governors and other advocates for school choice. Denisha has shared her story across the country and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, PragerU, the Washington Examiner, EducationWeek, and Fox News among other outlets. She has also appeared in public service announcements promoting school choice.
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To learn more about Black Minds Matter, visit blackmindsmatter.net.
Denisha Merriweather
Who are
A Look Into Our Community
The Eastside — Out East — is located less than a mile from downtown, nestled between the Springfield neighborhood to the west, JAXPORT’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal to the east, and the sports and entertainment district to the south. By all accounts the Eastside should be prosperous, however it is a place people avoided at night. It has become the focus of many urban projects in the City of Jacksonville, but statistics tell a sad tale. The median household income is about half the citywide average.
According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, 41 percent of Eastside residents receive food stamps, compared with 16 percent of Jacksonville residents overall. It is full of abandoned homes and stores. People walk the neighborhood aimlessly with seemingly little hope. There are three zoned schools for the neighborhood, which were underperforming when I attended and still are, despite the best efforts of Duval County Public Schools. There are yet any real school options on the Eastside, though there are some in other surrounding neighborhoods.
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The students Out East deserve rich learning environments that encourage them to be confident, self-advocating, life-long learners.