RIISE
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We are a lifestyle network building bridges between families of color & the culture of independent schools.
04/08/2026
Honorary Brown Butter girls are women of color who attended Independent School in their youth before Brown Butter existed! We invite these women into the fold of The Brown Butter Collective, spiritually!
This week we’re highlighting two queens of the 90s, and our hearts! Niesha Butler () and Joy Bryant ( )
Joy grew up in the South Bronx, and her transition to the prestigious wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies. Her pursuit of academic rigor, supported by her Grandmother, brought her into a new world with it’s own set of challenges and pressures. Perhaps this early change prepared her for a later shift, from working Model in Paris, Milan and New York, to Hollywood Actress in her 2001 debut, Carmen: A Hip Hop Opera!
Niesha Butler has been breaking barriers since she was a young Brown Butter girl, attending Riverdale Country School . In true Honorary Brown Butter fashion, her early life is filled with fascinating and impressive accomplishments, like holding the New York State record for points scored in a high school career for both men and women. But that’s enough of Life and Basketball - did you know that Niesha was originally cast as the lead of Love & Basketball? Sanaa Lathan was cast after NCAA Requirements prevented Niesha from accepting the role.
Now these women use their public-facing journeys as leverage to increase the scale of their activism and encouragement of other black women of all ages. Joy has been radically open and transparent with her story, and Niesha Butler works tirelessly to encourage young scholars to pursue their interests in sports and STEM equally.
The Brown Butter Collective was created for Black girls walking similar paths. Your pursuit of excellence, of the education and the life you deserve, is honored here. No matter how othered you may feel, you belong here too. 🤎
Tickets on sale now! Join us for Grades 2-7 at , or for grades 8-12 at ! Head to the to Register online, either at 4riise.org or via
Not nearly enough of our families are accepted. With that in mind, those who have been selected or have re-enrolled have signed their contracts and made deposits.
If you know this Indy School OG, I am not one to gate-keep. Did you know about the hidden contract?
In my estimation it is the most important contract and one you have total control of because it is created between caregiver/consumer and scholar, to successfully navigate and negotiate your indy school journey.
If you want to dig deeper as an enrolled, newly enrolled or interested family DM me.
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